


Under The Harvest Moon

by BlaiddDrwg1982



Category: Practical Magic (1998), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Author sucks at Latin, Character Death, Child Erica, Child Isaac, Curse Breaking, Deaton and Morrell are actually Hales, Derek Hale is Bad at Feelings, Derek Has Feelings, Eventual Sterek, F/M, Fusion Fic Not Crossover, It makes sense for the story LOL, Laura has bad taste in men, M/M, Magic Laura, Magic and Werewolf Derek, Magic and Werewolf Laura, Possessed Laura, Started as a Twitter Conversation., Stiles is professional, Tags will update as I publish, Teen Wolf/Practical Magic AU, WAY too soon for relationships, crossover sorta, halloween fic, magic derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-15 14:12:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12322587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlaiddDrwg1982/pseuds/BlaiddDrwg1982
Summary: In a world similar to Practical Magic, but with our friends from the Teen Wolf world, we walk through the life of a young Mr. Derek Hale and Ms. Laura Hale, as they try to navigate their world of Magic and Wolfiness. We all know the Curse, but we don't know Their story.





	1. Growing Up Too Fast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [literaryoblivion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryoblivion/gifts).



> My hope is to get this done by Halloween. I love Practical Magic, and after having a lovely Twitter conversation where this plot line had come up, my mind went over time. 
> 
> More notes at the end. 
> 
> As always, I'm only borrowing the characters and putting them through their paces in a different setting from what they are used to. Please don't sue. I'm poor.

“It can be argued that this entire business started when our ancestor, Isabel Hale, was on the run from Hunters shortly after arriving here. Hoping to find a new life, free from the burdens of the Old Country, she made what could be considered one of the first errors in our family tree. She showed, not just her powers of magic, but her powers of Shifting as well. For years, she lived freely, moving between human and wolf and back again with reckless abandon, but always beyond the eyes of the village. She’d earned quite the reputation in the Old Country, and was trying to shed it here.

“It’s true, she took a few lovers, and it’s also true that some of them were married. What her greatest error was though, was her faith in the hearts of men. She had met a Hunter, who had said he would renounce that way of life, if only to be with her, and her alone. They’d carried on their affair in secret, as one usually did if they weren’t married at the time. Time passed, as it so often did, and she had let her guard down around him. It would seem pillow talk would lead to her downfall. 

“Within a week’s time of her not only confessing her love for him, but also what she was, she found herself running for her life in the woods. Alas, the footwear of the late 17th century was not exactly helpful for a woman running through the woods, and shifting her form would take too much time. She was captured, and taken to her judgement. The verdict was, of course, to hang her for her witchcraft. Given she was also able to shift into a wolf though, they had decided to shoot a silver tipped arrow through her heart, to keep her in her human form.

“The day finally came, waiting until the next new moon, expecting both sets of her powers to be at their weakest. What they didn’t understand then was that our powers are never truly weak, we just get a bit of a boost around the full moon. Both wolves and witches. Standing at the scaffold, with the noose around her neck, Isabel stood proudly, shoulders back, and chin up in defiance. The Hunter she had fallen in love with was chosen to shoot her, as he was the one who had uncovered her ‘treachery.’ His aim was true, as the many pelts in his cabin would attest. Taking aim, he fired.

“A moment before impact, the arrow shattered into a hundred shards, not a single piece so much as marking her skin. Smirking a victorious smirk, she levelled her gaze on the Hunter who had betrayed her, and without a single word, leapt off the scaffold. Those who were gathered there took a collective gasp, as not only was she sentenced to death, but leaping off the scaffold would make it a suicide to boot. The priest was beside himself because they weren’t ready to have to deal with that as well. Of course, the concern was moot. The rope broke, allowing her to drift safely to the ground, as though stepping off the bottom step of her deck.”

Alan sat back, allowing Marin to resume the story. 

“Gathering the shards in her apron, she walked out of the settlement, the same defiant look on her face, that she held at the gallows. She continued out of the village, and into the woods, going beyond even where the bravest of people would go. Her eyes glowing red, to warn away anything that might cross her path, she walked through the nights, and days, and weeks and months until she found here, where we now sit. Her belly growing, day in, day out. She’d been able, through the act of the Divine, been able to build herself a shelter, and give birth to her babies. One born to their powers as a wolf, the other to their powers as a witch.

“But in the times of her wanderings, she’d grown colder. Harder. The life she felt in her belly through those days sustained her, and her heart grew to surround her children, and give up herself to them. Their survival was all she cared about. So she set a spell on herself, to keep her from losing that focus, and risking opening her heart to someone who could hurt her. As time went by, the spell took root in herself, and then eventually her children. On and on the spell has passed, protecting us from loving someone too much, and risking it all for their favour. 

“What Isabel didn’t foresee was that this protection spell would also, in time, twist. Through all out generations, the men and women of our family have loved, and lost, and had their hearts broken for the need to protect ourselves from outside influences. Just as the women in our family keep the Hale name after marriage, it serves as a reminder that our family is always there for us, when others may not be.”

Derek nodded his head, then sat back with that questioning look that only a 9 year old could truly pull off.

“Then why are you Uncle Alan Deaton and Aunt Marin Morrell?”

Alan for his part smiled.

“Deaton is my middle name, just like Morrell is her middle name. Alan Deaton Hale and Marin Morrell Hale. You’ll find growing up here that sometimes it’s easiest to hide certain facts to make life a bit easier.”

“Like not shifting into a wolf?” Derek asked.

Nodding wisely, Marin also added.

“Also not doing magic too frequently. Times may have changed. But not by much.”

Laura perked up a little, setting the spoonful of cookie dough on the plate in front of her.

“But if the spell only affects the people we love…why did Mommy die when Daddy did?”

Alan and Marin exchanged a look, glancing down at their tea cups.

“Sometimes…the spell acts too broadly and…”

“…there’s unintended consequences. Your Mommy was with your Daddy in the car when he had his heart attack. She’d heard the howl of the lone wolf, as we always do when tragedy is about to strike. When he hit the guard rail…there wasn’t anything that could be done.”

Derek set his spoon down, looking at the picture of his Mom when she was about his age, standing with her sister, in front of the house with Uncle Alan and Aunt Marin. They’d lived here for a couple weeks already, and it wasn’t feeling any more like home. They were lucky that they were able to come here at all. Everything from their house was now spread throughout this one. Sitting back in the chair, he looked at Laura, who looked right back at him.

“I’m never going to fall in love.”

Getting up from the table he ran from the room. Derek had been particularly close to his Mom, not as proficient as shapeshifter as she was. Laura had that part down. But his magic was like his Mom’s. Kind and sensitive, which reflected in the fact he was a kind and sensitive child. 

Respectfully, they let him run out and up the stairs, slamming his door when he got to the attic. Laura took another bite of her cookie dough and sighed. Listening to the clock tick over the stove, she took a look up. It was coming up on midnight. There was really no bed times anymore, Alan and Marin trusting them to make those decisions themselves. Talking into the night like this had become part of their new normal. The times of Hunters had long since passed. While the old families weren’t exactly cozy together, Hunters had stopped pursuing them a long time ago. 

Giving her Aunt and Uncle a hug and a kiss goodnight, Laura slowly made her way up the stairs, to the very top. Bypassing Derek’s room, she pushed open the door to the rooftop greenhouse, not at all surprised to see her brother sitting among the wildflowers. Scribbling in his note book, she watched him pull out a copper bowl with silver etchings on the inside. It had been their Mother’s casting bowl. A gift from their Dad. Their fully human Dad, who loved his wife and children more than anything else in his life. 

Watching as Derek put the last touches on what he was writing, he started looking around at the various blooms that filled the night air with their fragrant aroma. 

“You might as well come in if you’re just going to stand there.”

Laura smiled to herself. Derek was like their Mom. He could write out a spell, and will the magic that was needed to work it into his pen. Laura had to work at even the most basic of spells to get them to work. But what she lacked in that, she made up for in her Werewolf abilities, which was the area Derek needed to work on. They were Betas. As all their family was after Isabel. Legend said that the curse would break when the next member of their family became an Alpha. Almost 5 centuries later, they were still waiting.

Walking across to Derek who started picking at flowers and herbs, pinching some so their oils would release, and gently placing others to keep them in tact, she turned his notebook towards herself.

“Mended Hearts Spell? Der-Bear. I thought you said you were never going to fall in love.”

Rolling his eyes, he recited as his picked the flowers, herbs, and various other bits that were strewn in the greenhouse.

“May they have skin like cream. And marks like chocolate chips. Their hair, brown as cocoa, and eyes, the same colour as whisky. May they be strong. Strong enough to survive me. And brave. Aaaand…have a name I’ll never be able to properly say. Their favourite day will be a Tuesday, and never put fake whipped cream on their pumpkin pie.”

Tossing together the last of the ingredients, Derek mixed them by hand, smiling at the warmth the silver was emitting. His spell was working. Walking outside, he looked up at the moon, and closed his eyes. Whispering the spell a second time, the bowl grew warmer in his hands. Whispering the third and final time, the etchings glowed brightly enough he could see them through closed eyes. Laura shielded her eyes, afraid of going blind from the force behind the spell. When it was done, the bowl was empty, ready to be used again. 

Setting it down carefully in the oak box lined with purple velvet, he closed the latch.

“A name you can’t pronounce? You speak Welsh Derek. And German. And a few others that almost impossible unless you’ve been born to it. There shouldn’t be a name you can’t pronounce.”

“I know.”

“Then why…”

Laura was legitimately confused.

“If it’s impossible for there to be a name like that, then it’s impossible to fall in love. If I don’t fall in love Laur…then no-one dies because of me.”

Laura looked at her little brother, her heart aching at the purity of his statement. Gathering him up in her arms, she pressed a kiss to his temple, the way their Mom always did when he was upset. Feeling her shoulder get damp, she knew he was crying. Looking up at the moon, she felt a guilty twinge deep in her stomach.

She couldn’t wait to fall in love.


	2. Onward and Upward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to move forward when everything you know is at a stand still. The call of the road beckons one. The comforts of home beckon the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11 years down the road from chapter 1.
> 
> Derek is now 20  
> Laura is now 21.

Derek leaned against the door to the balcony, sipping his hot chocolate while stirring it with a cinnamon stick. Listening in the other room as Laura finished stuffing her things into the duffle bag she’d dug up from the basement, he looked down a little apprehensively at the glowing yellow eyes that looked back up at him. Flashing his own eyes out of boredom, he saw the other wolf smile. No threat. He was just waiting on Laura. Part of Derek wanted to tell the young man that he’d be waiting on the flighty 21 year old a LOT. 

11 years since their parents had died, and he was still living with Alan, Marin, and Laura. Soon to be minus one. Sighing, he set the cocoa down, watching as the cinnamon stick just kept stirring. Blowing lightly on the surface of his drink, it once again started to steam. Watching as Laura came barrelling through his room, he winced as she heaved the bag over the edge, and the young man was knocked back from the weight of it.

“Bringing the sink too?”

“Well you know how much I’m gonna miss THAT travesty.”

On a whim, Alan had picked up a gods awful pink seashell sink with gold inlay. It was the tackiest thing that they had ever seen, but somehow it seemed fitting for this house. Laura wasn’t as amused that it was put in what was unofficially HER bathroom, but she also wasn’t about to learn how to change out a sink…or buy a replacement…so the ugly thing remained where it was.

Sitting on the railing of the balcony, he picked at his thumb nails, sighing softly to himself. Looking up at Laura, he took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Why do you have to leave Laur?”

“I can’t stay Der-Bear. I love you. And I love Uncle Alan and Aunt Marin. I do. But I can’t stay here. I can’t. This town…the people here…they hate us. They hate me more than any one else. With me gone…”

Laura snorted.

“Hell. With me gone, you all will probably be fine. But I can’t do it any more baby brother.”

Derek hated when she called him that. Usually because he wouldn’t fight her any more once she dropped that one on him. Looking back at the glowing eyes, he looked at his sister.

“Do you love him?”

Laura smiled and said low enough for her brother to hear, but the werewolf down below wouldn’t. He was just a wolf. Not witch or wizard blood in him at all. They were, it would appear, a rare breed.

“I don’t hate him. I don’t want to risk him loving me. He’s a nice kid. He deserves to grow old and have a whole litter of little Werewolves. But that isn’t with me. I’m not that girl.”

Pulling Derek off the railing by his shoulders, she smoothed his shirt and looked up into his sad puppy dog eyes. She felt the dampness well up in the corner of her eyes as she registered the utter sadness in her brother’s eyes.

“But you…you are that boy. And maybe with me out of here, you can find someone nice to settle down with. Have your own children. Love and most importantly be loved. And break the curse for us all.”

Pulling him into a tight hug, she felt his arms wrap completely around her and squeeze. Even with her werewolf strength, this was pushing it. She was the more adept shifter…still. But he was a fan of the gym so that offset a few things. Breaking the hug, Laura’s eyes widened for a moment.

“Just a second. Wait right here.”

Before Derek could remind her that she was making her escape from HIS ROOM, she was out the door, heading up to the third floor landing. Backing up to the window, he looked down at Laura’s waiting boyfriend.

“She’ll…be a minute.”

“She’s worth the wait.”

This guy was so smitten with Laura, Derek really hoped he wouldn’t meet an untimely death. Heading back into his room, he sat down at his desk, closing the laptop and pushing it to the far corner. Laura came running back into the room in a blur of motion. Opening her hand, there was a broken and jagged piece of metal attached to a redwood sliver.

“Is that…”

“Isabel’s Arrow. Well. Part of it. Here. Give me your hand.”

Sighing, he reluctantly held his hand out to her, palm up, hand open. Before he could ask what she was doing, he felt the blistering pain of silver cutting into his skin. Normally silver didn’t bother them unless it was an open wound. Hissing out a small growl, he watched as she did the same thing to her had. Feeling her press the wounds together.

“Together forever. No matter the time. No matter the distance.”

She nodded to Derek to say it.

“Together forever. No matter the time. No matter the distance.”

And a third time, the repeated the same words, in exact synch. 

The first time was to name the intent. The second time to confirm. The third to commit. 

Pulling their hands apart, the wounds healed, leaving a jagged scar across the palms of their dominant hands. Laura set the shard down on Derek’s desk, and gave him another hug.

“I love you baby brother.”

“Love you too.”

With that, Laura vaulted off the second floor balcony, landing in a crouch, flashing her eyes back over her shoulder. Running across the street, she jumped into the idling car, and laughed loud enough Derek could hear her in his room. 

Brushing away the tears that were threatening to spill over, he picked up the remains of the arrow and took it back upstairs to its resting place. Putting the box back under the floorboards, Derek slowly trundled back down the stairs, to his bedroom. Picking up the hot cocoa from his table outside, he took a sip. It was still hot. And still stirring. Pulling the cinnamon stick out, he finished his drink before heading downstairs.

Looking at the last photo at the bottom of the stairs, it was a picture of his parents, smiling, happy, and still very much alive. Just above it was a picture of Laura. Staring back in his reflection, he saw a very small frown. He was happy for her. He really was. He knew this pit of a town wasn’t what she needed. She needed more. So he was happy for her, but felt guilty just the same.

“How can you be happy when everyone you love is leaving you.”

He whispered to himself, before going into the kitchen.


	3. Love and Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone lives a life of love and loss, though some feel the effects more acutely than others. What does one do when one's life if affected by outside forces? How can you be angry at Fate, when Fate brings you more to love?

“I’m worried about Derek.”

Marin looked up over her hand of cards at her brother. Grabbing a pair of three’s, she set them down, face up. Pulling another card from the deck, she slid them into sequence.

“How so?”

“Laura moved out 3 years ago. Derek’s gone to school. He’s finished his degree. He’s working, though heavens know what he sees in restoring old furniture. He’s gone out on a couple dates, but that’s it. Never more than one.”

Alan set down three fives and pulled another card from the deck.

“You know he doesn’t want to risk triggering the curse. Ever since their parents died, he’s almost gone out of his way to avoid even too close of a friendship with people. Which I know, isn’t healthy. But we have to respect his choice.”

Marin rolled her tongue in her mouth, and rolled her eyes, clucking her annoyance.

“What if we just…”

“…no.”

“I’m not saying that…”

“…NO.”

“Alan. Look. I’m not saying we cast a love spell. Or even a lust spell. But maybe we just float it out into the universe to send someone his way. A diversion. At the very least, we can try and get him laid. God knows SOMEONE in this house should be.”

Alan chuckled. His sister was seldom without a partner warming her bed. But, like their mutual ancestor, had a bad habit of sleeping with the wrong people. Thankfully none of them tried to kill her. Keyed her car once or twice. But nothing fatal.

“I’m listening…”

***

“Hey look at this! Laura’s in Santa Fe! I guess she’s moved on from that Aiden character.”

Marin grabbed the post card from Alan.

“I thought it was Scott.”

Marin grabbed it back.

“Wasn’t it Kali?”

Derek growled slightly under his breath as he yanked the postcard from his arguing relations.

“I’ve lost track. She just keeps going through these guys…and girls I guess. When is she going to…”

Alan snickered. 

“She’s never going to settle down. Not at this rate anyway. You’re both still so young. There’s nothing wrong with throwing it out there to see who picks it up.”

Derek wrinkled his nose. As he got older, Alan’s metaphors became a lot more direct. He was 23, but still cringed like he was the same age as when he went to live with them. Reading through the postcard, he smiled a resigned smile. She was happy. She was playing the field, but being careful. Moving on before anyone could love her enough to get hurt. Tucking it into his shirt pocket to keep it from Alan and Marin’s prying eyes, he accidentally bumped into someone.

Looking over his shoulder to apologize, his eyes caught hers and he was momentarily distracted by her sheepish smile. Before he could say anything, he stumbled off the sidewalk, tripped on a crack in the curb, and fell into the street. Throwing himself off the road before a car could hit him, not that there was a risk of that. No-one really drove downtown due largely to the lack of parking. 

Feeling his cheeks flush red, he took off like a bat out of hell, not stopping until he was safely inside the garden gate, hidden behind the shed.  
What he missed during his display of Olympic level training in long distance running, was a knowing glance between his Aunt and Uncle. 

Unburdened by this knowledge, he picked up some gardening tools and went to work on the vervain, knowing that the herb would soon be ready for picking and drying, but still needed a little TLC to reach its full potential. Looking up in acknowledgment that his Aunt and Uncle had finally arrived home, he stayed working in the garden, feeling once again centred and connected to his inner spirit while working the dirt beneath his hands.

Unaware of the passage of time, and after finishing in the patch of vervain, he looked up at his Aunt who was sipping her tea on the deck.

“Something wrong dear?”

Shaking his head as he brushed the dirt off his hands, he squinted up at the sun. It was looking close to noon.

“No just…somewhere I think I need to be.”

Taking off at a light jog, Derek followed his instincts to return to town. It took a bit longer, as he wasn’t channelling his animal spirit this time. Something was pulling at him to return to the shopping district of their quaint little town, and he didn’t know why. He, as a rule, avoided it when he was on his days off. This time though…

…and then he saw her, looking almost as confused as he was. Smiling at her, he felt his heart leap in his chest when she smiled back at him. Clearing the distance in a few long strides, he looked at her like she was the only person in the world.

“Derek Hale.”

“Paige Krasikeva.”

“Pleasure to meet you Paige Krasikeva.”

“I think you’re the first person I’ve met to get my last name right on the first try.”

“What can I say. I’m gifted with my tongue.”

Eyes going wide at what he said, he blushed a fantastic shade of red and clamped his hand over his mouth.

“What I meant to say was…”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. She was laughing too hard to truly hear him. Looping an arm around his, she lead him off to the coffee shop, smiling in the sunlight.

***

“Dear Laura;

“It’s been sometime since I’ve sat down to write you more than a few words on a postcard, but I think I’m long over due for being the annoying little brother, and filling an actual page. Maybe even two. 

“I’d say I’d be pretty pissed that you didn’t come to the wedding, but to be honest, it was a small thing. Paige is an only child and her parents aren’t around anymore. With just me, Alan and Marin, it was a nice day. Granted that in and of itself was about three years ago, so I can’t really be too upset that you weren’t there. I’m only telling you about it now.

“Just like I’m telling you that you are now and Aunt. Twice over. Marin said she’d let you know, but you know how she gets sometimes. Paige and I have two lovely little ones. Isaac and Erica. Cute as can be, but such handfuls. Erica is the older of the two, and already bullying her little brother around. They have the scent of wolf, but given the fact Isaac seems to get his pacifier when we hide it in the top of his closet, or Erica seems to have a package of cookies I KNOW are outside of her reach, I think they’ve inherited our magic too. Which is fine. I’ll teach them the same way Mom and Dad taught me.

“I’m working at the high school now. Teaching wood shop of all things. But it’s nice. I get to work with my hands. Get to actually use my degree. And I get to be home with my babies every night. Life, I’d have to say, is perfect.

I love you Laur. And if you ever get the urge to leave Santa Fe, even for just a visit, you come on up. Paige and I would love to have you stay with us. I’m sure the kids would love to meet you. Alan and Marin I know want to hear that you’re okay.

My Love.

Der-Bear.”

***

“Dear Derek;

“You asshole. If you’d have sent me an invitation, or even at least called me, I would have definitely been there for your wedding. I’m happy for you though. You deserve it, and more, and it sounds like little Isaac and Erica are sending you well on your way.

“So I guess it’s my turn for big news too then. I’ve met someone, and I know I’ve said it before but this time, I think it’s for real. He’s an Alpha Der! His name is Deucalion. He’s from the old country. And he is powerful. Der. Like. Really strong. He knows all about us, and our family legacy. 

“We’re going to be travelling soon though. He’s an Alpha in search of a pack. I know that he’ll lead me off to some great adventures and I’ll tell you all about them.

“So give those sweet babies a kiss from me, and when we are headed up the way, I’ll let you know. 

“I love you baby brother. Give my love to everyone. I’ll see you soon.

“My Love.

“Laur.”

***

Time passed by, slowly at first, allowing Derek and Paige to live in their love for another 7 lovely years. In this time, Derek had pushed his concern about the curse to the back of his head, revelling in the love his wife and children brought to his life. It would come to no-one’s shock or surprise that when he heard the first howl of the lone wolf, he paid it no mind. It was approaching the full moon, and the various wolves in the area felt the change rattling in the air.

On the third day past the full moon, the lone wolf was howling, a feeling like ice running down his back possessed him, driving him out to the woods, hoping and praying he’d find the source, and that it wasn’t his childhood fears coming to call. Running through the forest, into the valleys, into the dense woods, and even along the lake, he heard the wolf’s call, getting more and more urgent.

Falling to his knees, hands clutched around his ears, eyes screwed shut, the howling became more frantic until it stopped at the peak of its crescendo. Looking up to the highway, he saw their blue station wagon coming around the corner. She was on her way home from dropping the kids off at school. Getting to his feet, he felt the dampness on his cheeks. Smiling softly, he started to break into a run. If he timed it just right, he’d be able to meet her on the side of the road before she hit the interchange.

From nowhere, he heard a frenzied howl. In slow motion, he looked back at the highway and saw a deer leap out from the shoulder of the road, and careen through the windshield of their car. The world fell to silence. Time itself stopped for a moment. Aware of the rush of blood in his head, he heard a low, mourning wail of a lone wolf.

***

The police had been quick, and had kindly informed him that she likely felt no pain. Probably didn’t even know what had happened. Having told Isaac and Erica, he held them tightly as they cried themselves to sleep. Whispering an incantation over his sleeping children, he left the house, knowing they would sleep through until he returned. Setting every ward he could think of on the house, he asked their neighbour to stay in as well, while he went to speak with Alan and Marin.

Making the fifteen minute, he barely stopped his truck in time, before leaping out, leaving the door wide open, buzzing that he left the keys in the ignition. No one was foolish enough to steal from a Hale. Not even a grieving one.

Throwing the door open, he stormed into the kitchen, grief etched on his face, heart pounding in his throat.

“It was the curse wasn’t it? Paige died because of me. Paige died, and it’s because of me.”

From the shadows, Marin and Alan emerged, tear tracks evident on their face. They loved Paige. She was sweet and kind, and human. So very human. 

“We had no idea when you met her that this would happen.”

Derek looked confused for a moment.

“You had…no…No…don’t tell me that you…”

Marin looked down, carrying the burden of guilt on her shoulders.

“She was just supposed to…help you not feel so alone. So…disconnected from everything. We didn’t know it was going to be her. We didn’t know…I didn’t expect that you’d…”

“Love her? Marry her? Have children with her and forget that everyone who loves us are doomed to FUCKING DIE.”

Derek’s eyes flashed a warning shade of yellow. Storming through the kitchen and out onto the porch, he came back in with one of the spell books. One of Isabel’s originals. 

“Summon her back.”

“We can’t do that. Her body…”

“Summon her mind then. You can do that. You can at least do that. I know you can. I asked you about it when Mom and Dad died. You said we had spells to bring their minds back from the after life.”

“We don’t do that Derek. She’s passed on. If we try and force her back without a vessel to put her in…she’d go mad Derek.”

“I don’t care. I don’t care because at least she’d be here. She’d be here and I wouldn’t…”

Derek’s voice broke as he fell to his knees.

“I wouldn’t have to raise our babies alone. You did this TO me. You do THIS for me.”

Alan moved over to his nephew who was collapsed on the ground, body wracked with the pent up anguish of the day. Looking up at Marin, he shook his head. They couldn’t do this. It was the first time they’d ever said no to their nephew.

***

Derek, Erica and Isaac walked up the front walk, bags in hand. The funeral had been small. Paige was the last of her family, save for her children. Leading them into the old house he felt like he had just moved out of, Derek said to his children, crouched down to be at their level.

“We aren’t staying here forever. Just until we’ve figured out what we’re going to do. That still means homework done after dinner, no snacking before meals, and absolutely no trying to skip shifting during the full moon.”

Turning to Alan and Marin.

“And you two. You will not teach my children magic. You will not interfere with how I’m raising them, and if I catch you showing them so much as a simple spell I’ll burn every tome in this place.”

Derek didn’t wait for his elder’s response, instead, he chose to lead his children upstairs to the attic room, his first bedroom in this place, and helped them square away their things. Heading down to the second floor, he pushed open the door to his bedroom, and aside from an unmade bed, it wasn’t entirely different from how he left it. It had obviously been cleaned recently, and the bedding was just waiting for him.

Kicking off his shoes, he pulled the duvet over his head. Tracing the scar his sister had left him with, he felt the tears well up.

“Laura…I really need you.”  
Half a country away, Laura felt her scar grow cold. Looking at it, she traced it.

“Oh Derek…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ages at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Laura: 34  
> Derek: 33  
> Erica: 10  
> Isaac: 9
> 
> Paige's maiden name is also lifted from the IMDB page for the one episode she was in. 
> 
> From here on out there shouldn't be any major time jumps.


	4. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's darkest before the dawn, and sometimes when you've hit the bottom, you need a helping hand up.

“Babe I need to get going if I’m going to make it before sunrise.”

Laura pulled herself off the bed, taking the sheet with her. Looking back at Deucalion’s naked form, she felt things low in her body pull tight. Still. Her scar was a very cool reminder in her hand that she was needed elsewhere.

“You’re sure I can’t convince you to stay?”

Laura rolled her eyes, taking a pull from the whiskey bottle. With their metabolism, the alcohol had zero effect. Turning her back to him, she reached into her purse and pulled out a small satchel. With her back blocking his few, she tapped in a few blue powdered flakes and gave the bottle a small shake. Miming another sip, she handed it over to Deucalion who promptly drained it dry. 

“I’ll only be gone for a few days. I’m sure you’ll get along just fine without me.”

Smiling her most disarming smile, she watched as he yawned and drifted back off to sleep. Once he gave a deep grunt, she let go of the breath she was holding. She liked the guy, but damn he was clingy. 

Dressing quickly, she grabbed her back and went out to the car. Throwing it in gear, she was on her way back home for the first real visit since she moved out. Once or twice she slipped through town in the dead of night and harvested some of Marin’s blue wolfsbane, of which she was running pretty low, so she made a mental note to stock up on this visit. But she hadn’t been back for a real visit since she left. She had gotten a lot better at writing. The sense she had now though was an alarm beacon, calling her back.

Running her thumb over the scar as she pulled out onto the freeway, she sighed softly.

“I’m coming baby brother.”

***

Laying in bed, buried under the blankets, Derek felt his gaze getting glassy. He was trying his best to stay positive for his children, but it was hard. Paige had been the optimist of the two of them. He was the designated worrier. He was also pretty sure his late wife was the reason their kids hadn’t developed any major neuroses that he’d been able to identify as of yet. 

Vaguely aware that the sun was up, he heard his door creak open. A small body crawled up on the bed with him, and draped over him before pulling the blanket off his head.

“Rise and shine Daddy.”

Erica was always a painfully chipper morning person. Even mourning, she was still up with the sun and ready to go. Yesterday she’d been up and sitting on the porch swing waiting for him to get out the door to register her and Isaac at their new school. He’d told them this would be temporary, but he knew it would probably be a fairly permanent change. He’d given his notice at work already, but he’d head back if they didn’t have a replacement at the end of his bereavement leave. With how many people were desperate for jobs, he wouldn’t be shocked if they hired a replacement for him already. It wasn’t personal, and the students didn’t deserve to suffer due to what had happen.

Sighing, he sat up in the bed. T-shirt rumpled and sweatpants pulled up to mid thigh, which explained why his foot was falling asleep.

“Erica…Aunt Marin is going to take you to school, okay Sweet Pea? Isaac, I can hear you in the hall way.”

Sliding over to the edge of the bed, his youngest dragged his feet walking into the room and climbed up on the bed. Tucking himself under his father’s arm, he rested his cheek on Derek’s chest.

“I don’t like it here. Kids call us mean names here.”

“Like what Buddy?”

“They call us mean witches.”

“Zacky…” Erica said in a low voice, warning her brother off this topic of conversation.

“Well it’s true Ricky! They call us mean witches and tell other kids not to play with us and they’re mean and I hate it here.”

Derek rested his head against the headboard and closed his eyes. It’s been the same for generations. No-one ever sussed out the fact the Hales were actually mainly werewolves, but most of them possessed some abilities with the Craft. 

“We aren’t mean witches Buddy. But we do have some powers. We just have to keep them quiet so the people here leave us alone. They’re just afraid of what they don’t understand.”

Granted, if any of them so much as looked at his kids the wrong way, he would probably gladly turn the person into a toad and fire them into the river. But. His powers didn’t extend that far. Not yet anyway.

“I want you to be brave and remember that we won’t stay here forever. Eventually we’ll move back.”

Home for his children was only about 20 minutes on the highway from here, but far enough away that changing schools made a bit more sense. Alan was making arrangements to pack up their stuff from the rental house and put most of it into storage. 

Kissing the top of both of his children’s heads, he gave them as much of a smile as he could muster. This was hell on them. He knew that. He was holding on by his fingertips though, trying to keep himself together for them. As much as he was angry with his Aunt and Uncle, he knew that things would be a lot worse if not for them right now. 

Watching as his kids trudged off and down the stairs, he slumped over on the bed, knowing full well he was likely to be in almost the same position when they got home. He only seemed to be getting up to eat, go to the bathroom, and have an infrequent shower or two. Hearing the scrambling on the roof and someone push the door to the balcony open, he clenched his fist, then opened it palm out behind him. 

“Is that anyway to greet your wayward sister?”

Derek shot out of bed, scrambling to his feet, facing the balcony door. A grey haze filled the archway, acting as a barrier on her, preventing her from coming in the room. Pulling down the barrier took him all of three seconds, and then he flopped back down on the bed. He was looking like a wild bush man, and he knew it.

“I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever see you again.”

Derek’s voice was carefully neutral. He sat with his back pressed against his headboard, and barely acknowledged when Laura came around and crawled on the bed with him. Feeling her look at him, he looked back at her. Closing his eyes as she ran her finger tips through his hair, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Oh my poor Der-bear…”

She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly as he started to shake, the wracking sobs he’d been burying overwhelmed him completely. He hadn’t given himself permission to do this. He had to, somehow, keep moving forward, if only to give his children hope that they’d get through this in tact.

He didn’t know how long he lay like that in his sister’s arms, but he was grateful to have someone here to hold him together while he fell apart. With the part they played, he didn’t trust Alan or Marin enough at the moment to let them know how he was truly feeling, out of fear that they’d try and magic away his pain. Taking a few breaths, he wiped his eyes, fully aware that they were puffy and red. Sitting up, he looked at his sister.

“We were really happy…”

Laura looked at the picture Derek had on his nightstand. Him, Paige, and their two children, smiling goofy smiles in ugly Christmas sweaters. There was so much joy radiating from the tiny frame, it explained why there was so much sorrow in this room. Not saying anything, Laura just let Derek take the lead and walk them through this. She’d been gone a LONG time, but being back in this room, looking at her brother, it felt like there was hardly any time that had passed. 

Sneaking down to the kitchen, Laura came back up with some cold cuts and bread. Making herself and Derek a sandwich, she lit a fire in his fireplace, and sat cross legged on the floor. Eventually Derek joined her.

“We were planning on quitting our jobs and moving back here. I was going to tell you in a letter, but since you’re here…”  
Laura smiled a sad smile. As much as she enjoyed the men in her life, she had never felt the connection that Derek clearly had enjoyed with his late wife. Nodding her head in encouragement, she nudged him with a foot.

“We found a space. I was going to make custom furniture, and odds and ends pieces to fill the space. Paige was going to mix up those fancy soaps that everyone seems to be going after. She had this cinnamon body scrub that went great on ice cream.”

He found himself chuckling at that one. It was true. It was delicious. 

“Probably would have lost a fortune, but she was getting sick of her job and…teaching high school wasn’t really what I wanted. Gods know we could afford it though.”

As Erica and Isaac came home from school, Laura hid in the wardrobe that Derek had built, not quite ready to face the children just yet. Aunt Marin and Uncle Alan didn’t have a clue that she was visiting at all. Though the wolfsbane that she lifted did raise an eyebrow. 

They talked into the night, exchanging stories about the last 13 years that they’d left out of their letters. Derek gushing about his children’s accomplishments, and filling in details about Paige that Laura hadn’t known, having left not long after Paige had moved here. They talked at length about Deucalion, and the dangers of getting involved with an Alpha from the old country. 

Slowly Derek fell asleep, for once not collapsing into his bed in the exhausted depression that was his new normal, but instead drifted off, feeling as though a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Laura looked down at the sleeping form of her brother, and smiled softly to herself. Slipping out the balcony doors, she pulled them closed and stared hard at the latch until it fell. Ask her to break down a wall with her strength, she was on it in a flash. Minor magic like this? Took more concentration than it should have. Derek definitely had the leg up in that arena. 

Leaping over the railing, she ran into the woods to where she had parked the car. Turning the key in the ignition, she put in in gear, and was back at Deucalion’s side before the wolfsbane had worn off.

When Derek woke the next morning, he was not surprised at all to see that Laura had left. Looking out the window, the sun was streaming in, and it fell warm on his face. Scrubbing his face with his hands, he looked at the door as Erica came in. Favouring her with a lazy smile, her face erupted in the first broad smile she had since her mother died. 

“Morning Ricky. Pancakes?”


	5. The Blessings...and Curses...of Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time marches on as we all know by now. The healing heart has begun for one, but omens of danger are lurking in the corners.

Days bled into weeks. Weeks rolled into months. Time did it’s thing where it passed whether you were ready for it or not, and soon enough, Derek was getting ready to open his carpentry shop and sales space, already receiving orders for various pieces. Though, per his terms and conditions, he wouldn’t start on the larger, more customer pieces until he had at least a 20% deposit. Hardwood was expensive after all. 

He’d hired two people to work the front of the store for him, recommended to him from his Aunt and Uncle. There was chance they were probably witches, because they definitely didn’t have the underlying scent of Werewolf. They were great with his kids when they came in after school to do their homework at the counter, and they kept rotating the stock in the store to create various tableaus to showcase his work. 

Most days, it was just plain and simple bliss. Some days though, there was the old sentiment that because he was a Hale, he was trouble. Sadly, that mentality filtered down and was at times directed towards his children as well, and as many people already know, some kids are brats. He did his level best to not interfere much because the last thing he wanted was for Erica and Isaac to also be bullied for having an overprotective father. Granted, they were both werewolves, and had shown some skill at magic that he was trying to keep under wraps so some of his over protectiveness was also to keep his children from losing their control. They were generally really good, but around the full moon they were a bit twitchy. 

Looking out the window, he saw Erica and Isaac on the bench out front, their heads bowed over a comic book. Watching carefully he saw a group of children, maybe a little older than Erica. Watching his children’s heads jerk up at almost the same time, he couldn’t help but smile a little bit. He and Laura were the same way. It made hunting go a lot better when they were younger. Erica tucked the comic book in her bag, and indicated to Isaac to head towards the door. 

Derek’s employees scowled. They cared for the kids quite a bit.

The evident ring leader called out to Erica, in a snide sneering voice. 

“How’s the Doggy’s Daddy doing?”

Derek bristled at that, but Erica and Isaac were intent on making it inside. Alan had helped mix some mountain ash powder in the dark paint of the baseboards, so it helped them take the edge off their anger, especially this close to the full moon.

One of the other kids threw a handful of mud at Erica, which caught her clear in the back of the head. Derek saw her eyes flash yellow for a second, followed by Isaacs. In a heartbeat he was through the door and pulling Erica and Isaac away. Thank his lucky stars neither of them had shifted.

Pushing his kids behind him as the group of other parents came up to his shop, he bit back the growl that was threatening to form. Most of these assholes, HE had gone to school with. 

“Erica. Isaac. Go inside.”

Erica tried pushing past him. Poking her head around her Dad’s waist she flung her finger out, pointing at the ring leader.

“Everytime you get in your Mom’s car. I hope you…”

“Erica…” Derek growled in a warning tone.

Isaac poked his head around, and was holding his sister’s hand when he finished the curse.

“I hope you get the shits!”

There was a collective gasp from the children and parents gathered around. Pulling the kids away. Derek grimaced. He’d felt the tell tale sign of the declaration being made to reality. The kid DID start it. Derek also knew he would be refusing to pay the clean up bills. It wasn’t a fatal curse and would probably disappear…in a few weeks anyway. 

Spinning around, and getting down to his children’s level, Derek felt his eyes flash at his daughter. Erica and Isaac bowed their head in unconscious submission to him as their father. 

“Erica. Isaac. We do not flash our eyes and we do NOT cast curses.”

Erica put on the most defiant look she could muster. 

“You don’t because you probably can’t remember how. But I’m sick of the kids here Daddy. They’re rude and mean and deserve what happens to them.”

Derek growled slightly. Through clenched teeth he muttered.

“Nothing fatal. Nothing that causes a hospital stay.”

Getting to his feet, he looked up at the road at the kid Erica and Isaac had cursed getting into his mother’s car. Which, by the horrified look on the mother’s face, meant that the curse had taken effect.

“And no more swearing in public.”

Erica and Isaac took each other’s hands and started walking towards home.

Isaac leaned over to his sister. “That went better than I thought.”

Calling over his shoulder before he went back into the store.

“I can still hear you.”

Snickering as his kids ran off, he sighed, waving a condescending wave as the Mother drove by with her windows down, the obvious (to him) smell coming from the car.

***

The rest of the day progressed fairly well, including a conversation with Erica about the responsible use of magic. He didn’t want to teach his kids spells, but he begrudgingly acknowledged that they needed some direction. Derek also may have left out the curse his children had effectively worked. Some times other kids had to learn a harsh lesson. Like, never throw mud at a blond prepubescent female werewolf who also happened to be a witch for instance. Valuable life lesson to have. Though Isaac was also culpable in the crime, he was just defending his sister. 

Sitting at his desk, the accounting for the shop done, he pulled out a sheaf of paper, his ink well and his fountain pen. Sparing a glance at his hot chocolate with the cinnamon stick sitting in it, he blew lightly across the surface of his drink, and smiled as it started to steam. Setting the cinnamon stick in motion, he dipped his pen and started to write.

“Dear Laur.

“It’s been a while since you had visited, and even longer since I received a letter from you. My children are growing like weeds, and constantly asking when they’re going to be able to meet you. Hopefully this letter finds you well enough to make your way back home. I know Alan and Marin miss you too. We’re worried, that’s all.

“I saw a dead bird on my way home from the shop today. Sure sign of difficult times ahead. I’m not so sure I believe in that omen, but it’s never reassuring to see one that didn’t get into an obvious accident or altercation with a cat. 

I find my mind drifting from time to time these days, and feeling myself aching for the companionship of a partner. I look at my children and my heart feels so full, but I look down the road at my future and feel it so empty. It brings with it the feeling of guilt and dismay. Paige was laid to rest only a few months ago, and already I feel I’m betraying her memory by wishing…I had someone to hold me and that I could hold in kind. Some nights, I close my eyes, and cast my heart to the stars, hoping that the wind will take me to where I will finally find I belong.

But in time, I wake, and find only my pillow to hold me back, and the only dampness on my face is not from kisses, but tears of sorrow I cry in the night. Maybe the curse is meant to last forever, and you have a point in moving on before you can be hurt.

Find me Laura. Find your way back home.”

Derek set his pen down, blowing on the paper to dry the ink and have it set on the page. Folding it over, he put it into an envelope he’d brought from work, sealed it, and took it out to the mailbox at the corner of the street. 

Sipping his hot chocolate that he brought with him, he looked up at the sky, and saw the moon reaching full, but instead of the warmth it usually filled him with, he felt a shiver start in his hand, and move up towards his heart. Feeling the shiver claim most of his body, he dropped the mug with a loud crash.

“Laura.”

Leaving the debris behind, he vaulted over the fence and ran to the front door, making a run at the kitchen and grabbing the phone before it had a chance to ring.

“Laura?!? Yes. Yes. I’m coming to get you. Tell them to expect me and leave me a key. Lock the door and I’ll be there as fast as possible.”

Slamming the receiver down, he ran upstairs to grab his wallet and credit cards. Taking the stairs two at a time he called to Alan and Marin.

“I’m catching the next flight out to Tampa and we’ll be back in a couple days. Are you two okay to take care of the kids?”

Alan nodded his head and Marin spoke up.

“We’ll bring them with us to the Moot! There’s also bound to be some little witches there for them to meet. It’ll be lovely!”

“Can’t you just stay here with them?”

“Of course not Derek, we’re on the reception board. We have caterers to oversee.”

Derek just growled. He wasn’t about to get into it with them. 

“Fine. I’ll be back in a few days.”

Running out the door before he could change his mind, he was off to the other side of the country to rescue his sister.


	6. Be Careful What You Ask For

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't forgotten about this one and my goal of getting it done by Halloween!

The flight had been long, the snacks had been terrible, and the movie had been a basketball one. He was pretty sure he’d lead a good life to this point, so karma was probably getting him back for something in his past life. Or it was a down payment for future pain and suffering, he really wasn’t too sure, and pretty reluctant to commit one way or the other. 

The taxi ride to the hotel seemed to take forever. He’d been out this way once or twice with Paige to catch a baseball game, and to be honest, find some space to be able to just be away from family for a while. It didn’t seem like it was this long, but he didn’t want to rent a car just to come here and find out that Laura already had one.

Going to the front desk, he retrieved the keys to Laura’s room that was waiting with his name on it, was up the stairs and across the complex before you could blink. Not bothering to knock, he spun the key home and knocked the door almost off the hinges.

“I’ll huff and I’ll puff,” came the small voice hiding on the other side of the room, ice bucket held in clawed hands. 

Crossing the room in a heartbeat, Derek took a visual survey of his sister. The bruising was still fresh on her face, the cuts slowly mending. The claws from an Alpha took forever to recover from. So they’d been told. There hadn’t been an Alpha in the Hale family since Isabel. Given that he was Old World, and by Laura’s admission, a bit off level, that likely didn’t help the situation much either. The damage was done, but it would be recovered in a week's time.

Pulling her into a tight hug, he helped her pack up her last few things, slinging her bag over his shoulder while she fought with her shoes. He was convinced that one day they were going to get killed because of her insistence on wearing the least practical footwear ever. 

“Come on. He may not be too far away. Do you have a car?”

Laura nodded, pulling the door open and leading the way.

“We can take mine. With any luck he won’t be in any condition to follow us right now.”

Derek quirked an eyebrow at the back of her head in question. As though sensing it she tossed over her shoulder. 

“Wolfsbane. Got the bastard full in the face and tossed him in a dumpster. Should be asleep until we hit Texas.”

Derek growled at that. He wasn’t thrilled that his sister was messing with that stuff. But. In the right proportion, would definitely be useful, and also had the side bonus of making them all a little tipsy.

“What would he do if he found out your Wolf of a brother showed up.”

“He thinks you’re just a witch. You mask your scent to blend in with the humans, so I didn’t feel the need to enlighten him.”

Nodding his head, that was actually sensible. He carried a scent satchel with him everywhere, and had them sewn into his clothes. He’d learned very young that masking he undertones of werewolf would keep him off the Human’s radar. It had taken him years, but he finally found a mix that didn’t dull his sense of smell. 

As for being called a witch…in their family it was a matter of status, not gender.

Getting to the parked cars, Laura fumbled with her keys, dropping them in a puddle. Looking up that the sky, with the rolling thunder and the misting rain, she snarled under her breath. A feeling of extreme cold wrapped around her for a moment. Looking to the sky, she went pale, and clasped at her neck.

“My onyx. Der…I need…I need Mom’s onyx. Someone walking on my grave. Der…”

“Laur! It’s gotta be in the…in your bag.”

Dropping to the pavement he started digging through her bag, dutifully ignoring the empty condom boxes and tampons she had stashed away in the bottom. Listening to her heels clacking across the parking lot to a car that reeked of weed and werewolf, he growled under his breath.

“Laura! Ugh.”

Walking across the parking lot.

“You’re going to get me…”

He heard the cocking of a gun, and saw a pair of red eyes glaring at him from behind a mop of soaked hair.

“…killed.”

Deucalion smiled at him.

“You must be the Witch. Get in.”

Derek shot his sister a look, but it was hard to be pissed at her, what with Deucalion’s claws hovering just over her jugular. Tossing the bag in the front seat, he moved around to the driver’s seat and got in.

Looking in the rear view mirror, he started the car and pulled out onto the road.

“Interstate. We’re heading west.”

Derek merely nodded, trying to figure out how the hell they were going to get out of this one.

***

The night turned to day, turned to night again, which bled back into day, and started to get dusky. Deucalion only allowed them to stop long enough to get gas, and take a leak on the side of the road. They were collectively all a little funky.

“You know Derek, I don’t ordinarily say this but…you sure do have a pretty little mouth for a human. Maybe when your sister’s not around, you can show me exactly how useful it really is.”

Derek resisted the urge to snarl. He was playing human. Humans didn’t generally snarl. Looking at his sister who was still calculating their next step, he had a feeling they would have to hurry. They were on their way back to the Hale’s home, where their power was concentrated. He had no doubt that this Alpha had sorted out that minor detail, and was taking them there to kill them. Of course, he only believed that one of the them was a werewolf, but he would likely be the curious kind, wondering what it would be like to kill a witch.

Catching her eyes in the reflection, she seemed to be looking beside him. Taking a swig of the bottle of wine she had back there, she really focused on the mirror, while Deucalion ruminated on the talent of a man’s tongue versus a woman’s on the equipment they respectively came with.

“Wolfsbane Derek.”

The voice whispered in his head.

“Dose the wine with wolfsbane and knock him out. Alan and Marin can help with the rest.”

Smiling slightly he took the bottle, doing his best to keep it from the view of the other cars on the road. They had been told in no uncertain terms that if they tried to signal for any type of help, whatsoever, they would find themselves down a sibling, and he wasn’t too picky on who the survivor was. A cop seeing them pass an open bottle of wine would definitely be something that would get them caught. 

“So. Duke. It is alright if I call you Duke isn't it?”

He shrugged his shoulders in a rather noncommittal manner.

“You got any plans once we reach the west coast? Head down to Beverly Hills? See the coast? Fall in a ditch and die somewhere?”

Derek was rewarded with a stinging slap up the side of the head, causing him to over exaggerate with the steering wheel and sending them all around the highway. Using that as a distraction, he reached into the back and pulled out the vial of blue powder. Under the cover of Laura screaming at Deucalion to leave her brother alone, to which she was rewarded with a startling backhand, she was dazed for a moment. 

Derek pulled the stopper out of the wolfsbane, and up ended the contents into the dark red liquid. Giving it a small look, the wine spun itself, dissolving the powered flower. He wasn’t sure how much he dumped in but at this point he didn’t care.

“Give me the wine. You’re only human,” the term was a sneer. “You can’t handle your wine and drive at the same time. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic."

Derek gave all the appearance of begrudgingly handing the wine back over to the back seat, exchanging a smile in the mirror with his sister.

***

Night had fallen. They were two hours from what would be considered their home. Deucalion was getting giddy. They were getting nervous.

And the wolfsbane had done jack, as was evidenced by the Alpha still up right, but taking a piss behind a dumpster near a broken down garage, spinning the keys in his hand, ensuring they wouldn't be able to take off without him. They discounted the idea of hot wiring the car. Neither of them knew how. Running was out of the question because the goal was to get out of there alive.. 

Laura looked at her brother with a scowl.

“You didn’t give him enough.”

“I gave him all of it. If you hadn’t been dosing him for as long as you have been we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Laura scoffed.

“Can’t you just…you know…” she flicked her fingers to indicate magic.

“It doesn’t work like that and you know it.”

“We could try a casting.”

Shaking his head.

“Not enough time.”

“Summoning?”

“This isn’t Junior Prom Laura.”

Scowling. She went to open her mouth, but found she couldn’t get a word past the arm that was cinched across her airway. 

“I’m sorry. Was I interrupting something?”

Deucalion looked absolutely manic squeezing Laura’s airway shut. Derek let the change take over him, not exactly interested in letting Deucalion murder his sister and keeping his cover. Snarling at Duke’s pompous smile, he slashed at Deucalion’s arms, only to find they healed almost instantly. As a reward, he tightened the grip on Laura’s neck.

“See. Isn’t it just so much better having everything out in the open?”

Loosening his grip, he back handed Derek, sending him sliding across the pavement. Laura took full advantage to take a breath and jab both of her elbows into Deucalion’s ribs. Jumping back, Deucalion took a shaking step forward. Shaking his head, he raised his hand in an accusing motion, but confusion crossed his face.

Charging forward, Laura leapt, delivering a sharp blow to Deucalion’s chin, causing his head to snap back, and his eyes lose focus.  
Watching the Alpha drop, Laura landed, dropping to a crouch, before massaging her knee.

“There. Finally. He’s out.”

“Laur…”

“What?”

“Isn’t his chest supposed to be…moving?”

Gathering closer to the fallen body, Laura and Derek exchange a look, then look back at the body.

The off angle of his jaw, the awkward angle of his neck, and the open unfocussed eyes were a bit of a telling sign.

“Shit?”


	7. Best Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad, to worse, to a teeny bit better, to an impromptu run through the garden.

Despite what they had been told when they were younger, the transfer of Alpha status doesn’t always work immediately. Given that there was a multi-century dry spell of Alphas in the family likely had something to do with it. Laura felt vaguely nauseated, but that had something to do with the dead body they had stuffed into the back seat of the car.   
Derek was pacing in front of the car like a caged animal, glaring at his sister. His prints were all over the car, and the wine bottle. She had been quick to attack and ended up breaking Deucalion’s neck and jaw. Watching as his sister lit a cigarette, he growled at the putrid stench of it. Probably habit more than anything as werewolves didn’t get addicted to nicotine, and didn’t have to worry about the ill health effects. Cannabis on the other hand, wasn’t addictive to them per se, but it did at least have an effect. Derek was wishing he had some of the latter at the moment. 

“We have to call the police Laura.”

“And tell them what? That after my boyfriend drank a bottle of wine spiked with wolfsbane, I decided to break his neck?”

“He was assaulting you Laura.”  
“And in three days when the bruising’s healed up, and the distinctive LACK of scar tissue says that I’m in perfect health? Do you really think the Humans would buy that?”

“About as likely as them thinking you could break Duke’s neck.”

Laura nodded and pointed.

“However you, who are big, beefy and brawny, and has finger prints all over that fucking car…”

Derek went pale. Cops were definitely out of the question. He’d lose his children. He’d lose everything. Throwing his arms in up to the sky, as though questioning the gods above, he kept pacing.

Laura looked up all of a sudden.

“Do you remember what you asked the Relations after Mommy and Daddy died? And Paige?”

Derek shook his head. Walking across the alley, he grabbed her cigarette and took a drag. There was something about the habit that was calming. His college roommate was a smoker. Human though. 

“No. They said they don’t do it.”

“But not that they couldn’t. We have his original vessel. It’d be easier than with Mommy and Daddy or Paige.”

“No. It will drive him insane and who knows what else will happen. Seriously Laura. Think this through.”

“He’s already nuts Derek. All we need is him to come back, and go away. Hell. He can walk in front of a semi on the freeway 10 minutes after we bring his mind back from the ether and we can call it a day.”

Getting into the driver’s seat, Derek beat on the steering wheel. This wasn’t fair. He was JUST getting his life back to normal. His children were, well, not entirely happy, they were at least settling in about as well as he and Laura ever had. His business was successful. Hell. He wasn’t even crying himself to sleep any more. Yet, because of Laura’s Alpha chasing ways, and Deucalion’s abusive asshole tendencies, he was staring down the barrel of life in prison just based on the rather high amount of circumstantial evidence. Looking back at Deucalion’s dead body, he hollered at Laura.

“Get in the fucking car.”

***

The rest of the drive was in relative silence, Laura not wanting to risk her brother’s ire. Derek not wanting to risk screaming until the cops showed up. It wasn’t the dead body he had a problem with. They were Werewolves. They weren’t exactly innocent to certain things. Pulling into the driveway, Derek was relieved to see the lights still out. 

Tomorrow. They had until tomorrow when Alan, Marin, and his children were home from the Moot. Plenty of time to harness a consciousness from the ether, fix it back into it’s former vessel, hope the bones heal quickly, and figure out a way to send Deucalion on his way. No pressure. None whatsoever. 

Grabbing Deucalion’s upper body, he pulled it out of the car. Laura ran around the side and grabbed his legs. Dragging him under the shadows cast by the side of the house into the back area that was the designated spelling area, Derek was relieved to find that it wasn’t locked. No-one would ever dare break into this house for fear of a curse landing on them.

Clearing off the work bench, they swung Deucalion onto it. Derek then stuffed a pine scented car air freshener into Deucalion’s pants, as things had released in the walk up the drive way. He was going to be insane, and pissed off because he had shit himself. The night was getting better and better. Looking at the smug face of the Alpha, he backhanded the corpse. It was petty, but probably about the only chance he had at landing a strike. 

“Okay. Grabbing the book and the tools. You get to clean him up. And for gods sake, just burn the clothes.”

Heading upstairs, Derek grabbed the spell book that was lodged under the floor boards in the hallway outside of his room. All the more powerful stuff was spread throughout the house like that. Nothing in one place. Usually protected by mundane and magical means. Grabbing the associated tool bag, it was all silver implements. It didn’t burn him the way it sometimes did their kin. He hadn’t inherited the same degree of silver allergy. It wasn’t always comfortable to handle, but he could live with it. Laura was just like him. His children didn’t seem bothered by it much at all. He’d already had them try picking up the silver picture frame from the front hall.

Coming downstairs, there was a smouldering mass in the fire place. Leaning down, he glared at his sister and blew on the mess. All at once, it was encompassed in a white hot flame that burned everything to ash, and the ash to nothing. Pushing back he shook his head.

“You haven’t even been practising THAT much. Fuck sakes Laura.” 

Going into the room where Deucalion was laid out in a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, Derek winced.

“It’s what he had in his bag okay.”

The man had no fashion sense for casual clothes it would appear.

Reading through the book, he found the reference that he was looking for.

“Okay. Here we go. It looks simple enough. Burning of some herbs. Touching of oil on the energy points. A few choice words in Latin and…okay gross.”

“What?”

Derek shook his head. Laura raised a questioning eyebrow. He wasn’t usually squeamish about anything.

“We have to insert two silver filigree needles into his temples until they almost come out the other side.”

Laura nodded, understanding at once. Derek hated needles which was somewhat ironic due to the fact he had a massive tattoo on his back. His excuse was that he couldn’t SEE the needles at the time. Which made sense why he was able to sit through his back piece. Sighing, she knew Derek would be able to do this, but it was likely going to be messy about 10 minutes later. 

Cutting open the t-shirt, Derek pulled out the oil that was needed for the different energy points on the body. Taking a deep breath to clear his mind and focus his thoughts, he poured out a small measure into a crucible, putting the stock of it away. As soon as he touched this oil with the intent he is using it for, he would have contaminated the entire bottle. The crucible serves as a new container, and it was capable of handling the high heat that he’d be pouring into it to clean out the remaining dribbles.

Placing a drop on the varying energy points on the body, he glared as he had to reach into Deucalion’s shorts and place the drop on his groin. Laura looked vaguely amused until Derek’s withering glare found her.

“One word. One fucking word about the fact I just had to grope your dead lover’s junk to cast the spell to bring him fucking BACK, and I’ll kill you.”

Wiping his hands with a wet nap, he crumpled that up and put in in the crucible. Taking the twin needles in one hand, he started at Deucalion’s navel, running the tips of them up the body until they separated at the throat. Dragging them both to either side of his skull, lined up at the temples, Laura took the one closer to her and took a centring breath. Looking at her brother as he summoned his abilities, it was different from watching him wolf out. Those were supernatural powers. These, were the essence of tapping into his natural powers. It was argued that their Craft was supernatural as well, but it didn’t cause an actual metamorphosis in them. It was all subject to some debate.

“Okay. Now. We chant the latin three times, stab the needles, and pray to the fucking She-Wolf that he comes back more or less in tact.”

Laura nodded her head, waiting for Derek do to the first pass before they actually connected and cast. 

“Redi ad animum ad animum. Redi a corpore ad animum.”

Nodding her head that she had the flow, she repeated the phrase herself once out loud to make sure she got it. Derek nodded his head.

Taking another deep breath with their eyes closes, when they opened them, they were perfectly in sync.

“Redi ad animum ad animum. Redi a corpore ad animum.”

They felt a wind pick up in the room, though nothing was disturbed. If they were to look up, they would see a white mist on the ceiling appear.

“Redi ad animum ad animum. Redi a corpore ad animum.”

The mist condensed, and low growl was heard throughout the room.

“Redi ad animum ad animum. Redi a corpore ad animum.”

The growl became a snarl and the mist shot lightening into the places that Derek had placed the oil. 

Deucalion’s bones audibly knitted, and his eyes shot open.

Taking a deep breath, Derek and Laura went to insert their needles, only to find empty space where there was once a skull.

Lightening crashed outside, and at the end of the room two glowing red orbs were tracking their motion.

“Fuck.”

Before either of them could react, Deucalion, or what was left of him at that point, was on Laura faster than she could breathe.

“You will be mine forever. You will be MINE!”

Derek grabbed a cast iron pot and without any attempt to separate them, brought it crashing down on top of Deucalion’s head. A second swing caved in the side of Deucalion’s skull. He, for the second time tonight, dropped to the ground, not moving.

Laura looked at her brother. Derek looked at his sister.

“Grab a shovel. I’ll get the lye.”

***

Looking to the sky, there was still a few hours yet until sunrise. Derek leaned on the shovel, feeling tired to the bone. Being awake for several days DID have that effect on people though. Looking at Laura, he yawned.

“You’re moving back in. And I’m running background checks on your next boyfriend. Put this shit away. I’ll clean up inside.”

Laura had the decency to look chastised and didn’t argue his points. Taking the tools to the back shed, she hung them up where they belonged, casting a glance back where they buried the body, she whistled twice to the air, causing grass to grow back, erasing the evidence. Smiling smartly, she went back to the house and saw Derek coming back downstairs.

“Thanks Baby Brother. I wouldn’t be here without your help.”

Derek for his part just cast a glare her way.

“Don’t remind me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be gentle with the Latin criticism. It's been a LONG time since I've had to translate anything.


	8. Just a Few Innocent Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not every surprise is a welcome one. Then again...it could be worse.

Derek had managed to fall asleep on the sofa as the sun was nearing the horizon. Laura had re-claimed her old room and passed out on the bare mattress that still showed it was her room if she wanted it. After far too few hours, and the sun pouring in from the front window, Derek heard the doors of a car closing, followed by Isaac’s rapid prattle. Erica’s energy was up, and Alan and Marin sounded exhausted. They probably let the kids stay up way too late, with way too much junk food.

Served them right.

Laura came padding down the stairs, a bit of a nervous look on her face as she’d be coming face to face with the little people she’d only ever written to or spoken on the phone with. It was also ages since she had seen Alan or Marin. The bruises standing out on her neck and her face standing in stark relief against her somewhat pale complexion. Derek had inherited their mother’s more Spanish colouring where Laura definitely took after their very Irish father. 

Grabbing the door before Isaac could barrel through it again, Derek quickly picked up both of his kids, giving them a tight hug. This was the longest he had been away from them since the day they were born. He had no interest in that happening again. Holding both of his kids, one on each arm, he spun around with a smile.

“Guess who came to visit!”

Erica and Isaac looked at Laura, then looked at each other, and their faces split into the widest smiles. Scrambling out of their Dad’s arms, they tag teamed Laura and bowled her over, causing her to dissolve into a fit of giggles her self, saying “Hi” between their exuberant hugs and “Hellos.”

Looking up at Marin as she walked over, she looked down a bit as Marin took a look at the bruises on her face and neck.

“Come one you guys. Looks like Aunty Laura needs a cup of tea, and some family time. I’m sure there’s some chocolate cake around here somewhere too.”

Alan merely assessed the injury and shook his head.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure whoever did this to you will get theirs in the end.”

Laura and Derek exchanged a brief glance before she let her hyper active niece and nephew drag her into the other room, all the while talking about what they did at the Moot and all the other kids they met. 

Going to the kitchen to flick the coffee maker on, Derek leaned against the sink, very aware of his Uncle’s eyes on him.

“Is everything okay? We didn’t recognize the car out front.”

“It’s Laura’s ex-boyfriend’s car.”

“And…we aren’t worried that he’ll come by looking for it.”

Derek shook his head and smiled a rueful smile.

“No. No risk of that happening.”

Alan didn’t look convinced but also wasn’t about to push too much. In the panic Derek had been in flying across country, and they evidently driving back, it was something they’d talk about when they were ready and needed to. Or, in true Hale fashion, when it blew up and bit them all in their collective asses. 

Looking out in the back yard, Derek grabbed a cup of coffee and peered carefully at the spot they had buried the body. A cold shiver slid down his back. He could smell Laura’s handiwork with the grass growing, but there was something else out there. Taking another sip of his coffee, he plastered a smile on his face, and went to listen to what his children had been up to while he was away.

***

Days passed as they usually did. 

Slowly. 

Being back at work, and having something to focus on other than the rapidly growing vines in the back near Deucalion’s body. Laura had been following him around like a shadow and it was starting to get tiresome. SHE was supposed to be the older sibling, and yet, he was always the ‘older’ more responsible one. Flipping through the order book, he noted that there were a half dozen or so requests for replicas of the end tables he’d made and sold out of over the last couple weeks.   
His sales associates had done an amazing job at moving the general pieces he’d made, and doing up detailed orders that would keep him in business, and in money, for the next few weeks. Crunching the numbers, while he couldn’t give them raises per se, he had figured out a decent, and hefty bonus for both of them.

Looking at the clock, he groaned. Grabbing his phone, he stuffed it in his pocket, and grabbed his day planner.

“Anyone needs me, I’ll be at the school.”

Glaring at Laura. “Try to not touch anything.”

Walking out, the door slammed shut behind him. Laura winced and looked at the others.   
“What did I do?”

“PTA meeting day. He’s always like this during this time of the month. Usually a LOT of finger pointing at him because of the kids and the spooky shit that happens around them all.”

Laura sighed. It wasn’t going to get much better with her back in town, and she new it. Grabbing her jacket and sliding off the bench she’d been sitting on, she put a cigarette between her lips and smiled as she walked out.

“Maybe it’s time for Big Sister to step in and lend a hand.”

Pushing herself out the door, Melissa and Chris exchanged a look.

“Yeah…she’s not gonna help.”

Chris shook his head.

“Nope. Definitely not.”

***

Derek trudged his way to the school, oddly feeling the same resentment for the building now as he had possessed when he was forced to go here after his parents died. Sighing, he took the steps two at a time and entered into the school without a sound. Walking quickly to the classroom where the meeting was being held, he took a seat at the back, all but scowling at the other parents present. It was an infuriating reaction that he drew. The mothers were equally disgusted with him simply because of who he was, but he felt their eyes on his body like he were a piece of meat. The trade off of all the gym time he was willing to chalk it up to. 

“Alright. Now that EVERYONE has decided to join us.” There was a pointed look cast in Derek’s direction.

“The first order of business is the fall fundraiser. As you know, every year we host a flea market and 50/50 raffle…”

Their fearless leader droned on and on about the same crap that had likely gone on since he was a child. He could not imagine his mother, the indomitable Talia Hale sitting through something like this meeting peacefully and quietly. Then again, his original school before he’d been forced to come here didn’t do much in the line of fundraisers, and he vaguely remembered his mother being the head of the PTA. Making a few notes, especially that somehow he’d been volunteered to provide the tables for the flea market, he added a note in the margin to use a couple of the pieces that had been rejected because of whatever reasons. Write it off as a donation.

“The next order of business is the emergency calling list.”  
Derek’s eyebrows perked up on this. Calling list? Didn’t these people understand group text messaging apps? One and done? But looking at how excited the soccer moms were about it, that likely wouldn’t have crossed their minds. Sighing audibly, he felt the angry eyes turn his direction. Smiling his most disarming smile, they resumed ignoring him. 

The door to the classroom slammed shut, causing Derek’s face to fall. No…just…why? More importantly…NO. 

But, Laura smiled at the mothers who openly disliked her. She’d been in school with most of them and hated them right back. Stretching towards the ceiling, letting them get a peek at her taut and toned midsection, she ran a teasing finger across the top of her jeans.

“That’s right ladies. The Bitch is back in town. Lock up your husbands girls.”

Grinning with her teeth bared, Derek had what could only be described as a feeling of pure dread grip his heart.

“Except fo you Victoria…I hear Chris is a free agent now.”

Walking with a bit more bounce in her step, she ‘accidentally’ bumped Victoria Argent’s desk, causing her mineral water to spill. As soon as she sat down next to Derek, he gave her a smiled and spoke through his teeth.

“You’re going to cause a whole new witch hunt at the rate you’re going.”

Smiling, she turned her attention to the front of the class. Definitely a first.

The leader of the PTA went through and drew the names for the calling list.

“Is that…”

“Yup.”

“Have they never…?”

“Nope.”

“Are you?”

“Highly unlikely.”

“Uh huh.”

Sitting back with her arms crossed, she bit the tip of her tongue between her teeth. With their enhanced werewolf hearing, they heard someone from across the room.

“…I heard she only passed that class because she slept with the teacher.”

“Mrs. Martin?”

“Well. You know she left down and got involved with HEY!!!!!”

The gossip found her expensive fountain pent suddenly bursting with ink spraying all over her white cashmere sweater.

There was clamouring for paper towel and seltzer water, but the ink was stubbornly refusing to remove itself.

“Oh the hell with it. I’ll just start a group messaging board on one of those smartphone things. Meeting’s over.”

At the sheer frustration the other parents were facing, Laura and Derek snuck out, barely containing their giggles.

“You’re awful Laur.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I wasn’t the one who did the pen.”

“No…but you are the one who set the ink.”

Laughing at the sky as they ran home, something not unfamiliar to either of them.

***

Derek had to make a detour back to the shop to pick up a few of the finishing pieces for a bed set he was working on, giving Laura a massive head start to get back to the house. Walking in, he saw the very nice and well defined back of a man talking to Chris and Melissa, both of which looked somewhat nervous to be talking to this guy.

Letting his claws out, Melissa took note and subtly told him not to. 

Sheathing them, he instead cleared his throat, causing Hot From Behind to almost jump out of his skin.

“Is there anything I can help you with Mr…”

“Stilinski. Agent Stilinski actually.”

On the outside, Derek was cool as a cucumber. Inside though, he felt his heart rate jack up through the roof, and a tight vice crush his stomach.

“Agent Stilinski. What brings you to town?”

“Actually I’m looking for your sister, Laura Hale. Stopped at the hotel that was registered to her name out in Tampa, found a letter with a return address out here.”

“How do you know I’m her brother…”

“Did a bit of research.”

“And?”

“There are a whole bunch of people in this town who do not like your family Mr. Hale. They were very quick to mention that this is your establishment and implied that it would be nice to get you out of here. The sooner the better. Or to put in an order for your holiday shoe rack. Sometimes both…which makes no…”

“Yeah. This town is confusing as hell with that. They want me gone, but basically keep dumping money down my throat for the stuff I make.”

The agent shook his head.

Small towns. Gotta love them.

“By now she’s likely at home. What are you looking for my sister for.”

“She’s wanted for questioning regarding the disappearance of her boyfriend. A man who only goes by the name Deucalion.”

Derek’s heart jumped to his mouth.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See! We have a Stiles!


	9. Under Investigation

“If I see her I’ll let you know you’re looking for her. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go and check on my kids. Make sure they haven’t…tied my Aunt and Uncle up in the greenhouse again.”

Spinning on his heel, Derek was out the door and in his truck before the Agent had a chance to reply. Driving the 10 minutes to the house, he was screaming text messages to his sister via bluetooth, to the point that one of the people beside him at a red light actually RAN the red light because he looked like he was about to climb through his phone and kill someone.

Parking haphazardly in the drive way, he was in the house with the door slamming hard enough behind him to make the glass rattle. 

“There’s a cop here.”

He knew she was in the house. Sniffing deeply, he felt his eyes glow. Shuffling quickly through the house, he was glad that Marin and Alan had taken the kids out. Finding Laura staring out the window at where they buried Deucalion, his face fell at the blasé expression she was wearing. There was a bush of roses growing where Deucalion’s head would bed. Derek would bet his last cent on the blooms opening as black. There was no love and no rest in that grave. 

“Laura. There is a cop in town looking for you and Deucalion. He stopped by the shop.”

“Mmhmm?”

“I…I don’t think I can lie to him.”

At that, Laura’s eyes went wide as saucers. From an early age, they were always taught to cover for each other. For family. For the mix and match Pack that they always would be until someone broke the curse. They were trained on how to hide bodies when they needed to, but this was the first time in centuries that the person wasn’t a lone wolf our to cause shit. Well. In truth that really is what Deucalion was, BUT apparently he was stupid enough to let himself get followed.

“Der-Bear. That’s…what…who…HOW…”

Derek threw his arms in the air and shook his head. He knew how fucked up it was, but here he was, almost ready to spill his secrets like seeds in his garden. He poisoned Deucalion, Laura broke his neck, Derek resurrected him, and then promptly caved his skull in with a pot. Sure, both times they killed him, it was in self defence, but he couldn’t see that playing out in court very well. 

“I don’t know Laur. I saw him, in my store, and…I don’t know. I got out of there and told him I had to come home and make sure the kids weren’t tying Alan and Marin up in the greenhouse.”

Sitting on a chair he buried his face in his hands.

Laura was, however derailed.

“That’s happened?”

“Once shortly after we moved in.”

“Ahh. Well at least there was a hint of honesty to that one…but seriously…way to go Erica and Isaac.”

Derek shrugged. It was pretty impressive in retrospect. Shaking his head, he took on a more serious look.

“I’m not kidding Laur. I don’t know if I can bullshit my way through this one.”

“Is he cute?”

Derek blushes a furious red, right to the tips of his ears.

“He fills out the suit in a way that should be illegal.”

“Already want to get him into handcuffs? Kinky bro.”

If the Earth would open up and swallow him, now would be a great time.

Opening his mouth in rebuttal, he all but snarled when there was a knock on the door.

Laura made a show as sniffing the air to see if she recognized the scent. It was here earlier but she was genuinely out of the house at the time.

“And now the agent is on our front step.”

“He smells like candy Derek.”

“Yup.”

“He smells like candy and you can’t lie to him.”

“Nope.”

Laura looked at the ceiling, trying to divine answers out of the splatter of chocolate sauce on the ceiling. That was a whole different mystery that would have to go unsolved for the time being. Taking a few breaths to calm herself, she quickly adjusted the straps on her bra to (painfully) pull her breasts a bit higher and undid the top button on her shirt. Derek rolled his eyes but if it worked to get the agent gone…then fine.

“Okay. Go let him in.”

Derek made his way to the door, trying to not look panicked or nervous, which of course made his worst “customer service” smile make it’s appearance. The 3 years he slung coffee at the Starbucks knock off at the college where he got his degree perfected it. Including the overly friendly super chipper tone of voice. 

“Hi there Agent Stilinski! Come right on in. Please leave your shoes at the door. These floors are a flaming bitch to wax.”

Stilinski for his part merely raised one eye brow and sidestepped the surprisingly chipper Derek, before toeing off his shoes on the mat, revealing a pair of socks that had Super Mario silk screened on. 

Derek for his part merely stared outside with that horrible smile on his face, hoping and praying that lightning would strike him down where he stood. Of course, it was no such luck, but it was important to have hope. Closing the door, he followed the Agent who walked through the house with an amazing understanding of the floor plan, and moved to the living room. Laura caught the look on Derek’s face.

“Uh…Der? Did you…okay seriously what the fuck.”

The smile cracked finally and he sunk down on the couch. Shaking his head, he threw his arms in the air again.

“I don’t know. How can we help you Mr. Stilinski.”

“Still looking for Deucalion, but I’ve found your sister so that’s a step in the right direction…I guess…”

Stilinski looked sideways at Derek, not too sure how he felt about the display of exuberance. 

“Ms. Hale. I’m here looking for Deucalion. Last time I heard, you were travelling with him.”

“I haven’t seen him in weeks.”

Half truth. 

“Yet his car is parked in front of your house?”

“Yes sir it is.”

“And why’s that?”

“I took it when I left him. He started to get a bit violent so I decided to…”

“Steal his car.”

Derek leaned back in the chair with a groan.

“No. I mean yes. We stole his car. He hit her and I showed up and we took it and came here and it was wrong. It was wrong and it was bad and you need to punish…”

Laura’s eyes all but jumped out of her head. Shaking her head to try and get Derek to stop, it was no use. His brain disengaged and his mouth was in overdrive.

“…you need to punish me. Just…chain me up and haul me away. It’s a crime. A crime that I did because my sister can’t pick a decent guy to save her ass…Well you can’t, don’t give me that look…so just take me Officer Stilinski…”

“It’s…uh…” Stiles cleared his throat. “It’s Agent…not…officer.”

Derek was bright red. Looking at Laura for her to say something, she was only with it enough to shake her head at Derek and wonder what, exactly, from the greenhouse, he had been experimenting with.

Laura cleared her throat, and shrugged.

“What my pain in the ass younger brother here was MEANING to tell you is that yes, we have his car. Deucalion was beating me, I wanted to leave, Duke stole my car keys, so in a panic we took Deucalion’s car. We are more than happy to give it back if we need to.”

Laura cast a pointed look at Derek to keep his mouth shut.

“Shouldn’t be needed but I do need to poke around in it if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all _Agent_ Stilinski. Always happy to help.”

Stiles got to his feet, only just glancing at Derek who was trying to suffocate himself with the throw pillow from the chair he was sitting in. 

After letting Stilinski into the car, Laura stormed back into the house. Keeping their voices at a low hiss so as to not be overheard.

“Have you lost your mind Derek?!?”

“I don’t know! It’s your fault anyway.”

“Can’t you just be normal?”

“Can’t you just be….argh. Fuck. Laura. I don’t have time for this I have to-“

“Roll over for the Agent and present like you’re in heat?”

“Yes. NO. Jesus. Laura…”

He moved through to the kitchen to watch was Stilinski was doing in the car. Watching him bent over was quite the site itself. But when he stood up, peering at something that was stuck in tape, Derek went still.

“Laur…”

“What?”

“I think he found the wolfsbane. Didn’t your tits distract him?”

Laura shook her head.

“Something tells me it wouldn’t be my chest that would distract him.”

“Hmm? Really?”

Laura nodded. 

Grinning a little to himself, he whispered. 

“Oh my.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes to come later.


	10. Undetermined Outcomes

“Devil worshippers!”

Agent Stilinski refrained from rolling his eyes, but only just barely. He’d been interviewing people all over town for the last three days while waiting on the lab results of the blue powder he’d sent in for analysis. The consensus from the town was that the Hales, who were also credited with the FOUNDING of the town, were barely tolerated for the most part, though there were a few friends in and amongst the general population who were steadfast defenders of the family as well. 

Sadly, the majority of people were stuck on some sort of variation of the devil worshipper tagline. 

“He uses his magic powers when he’s carving his furniture to make the people in this town into wanton harlots who will do nothing to have their most basic urges satiated.”

“But Gramma…you bought the headboard you gave us for our wedding from him…”

“Well I want to be a Great Gramma dear and I’m not getting any younger.”

Stilinski almost choked on his coffee. That was another fairly common refrain as well. People were quick to call judgement on the Hales, but were also very fast to point out some of their virtues. Derek’s quality woodworking was the top of the list. How he was an amazing high school teacher before his wife died. How there wasn’t anything spooky about him or the kids while he was married. 

There was a lot less love for Laura. One of the townspeople going so far as to say the only good thing she ever did was leave town when she was 21. 

Stopping in to the town’s museum where he had the opportunity to look through a number of exhibits, all paid for and sponsored by the Hale Family Charity, he was amused by the stories of a witch who was also a werewolf. The superstitions that floated around towns like this always amused him. There were rumours about even the most recent generation of Hales being witches, which he’d been assured was a statement of skill and not gender, and werewolves.

“Falling into bed with the Heir of the Hale Curse is not a death sentence. They come and go, picking lovers like summer fruit from the vine, and are tender in their consumption. But should you find yourself in love with a Hale, beware the howl of the lone wolf, for your death is nearly at hand.”

The caretaker closed a book of the town’s history after reading the paragraph. 

Derek’s wife, who the town said was much beloved by him and their children, died tragically in a car accident involving a deer on the highway. The Agent had also learned that Derek was in seeing distance when the deer jumped out the caused the crash. That’s what prompted him to move back to the family home with his Aunt and Uncle, who were actually a more distant relation, but still shared their common blood.

Stilinski couldn’t help but feel a small amount of pity for the man. Suddenly being a single parent in a town that more than half hated you had to be a tough gig.

***

Days later, with the results in his back pocket, he found himself wandering back into Derek’s store to talk to his staff without him there. 

“Witch? Yes. Werewolf? Yes. Evil? Derek? That’s hilarious. We’re talking about the man who STILL gets teary eyed watching Bambi and has to go to another room for Lion King when Mufasa dies.”

Melissa was polishing a table when Stilinski came in to further question Melissa and Chris.

“When he found out that I was going to lose my house because my bum of an ex-husband was skipping alimony and child support payments and not paying his half of the marital debt, Derek bought the house and is charging me a dollar a month rent, and paying me waaaay more than is necessary so I can finish getting my nurse’s license and not have to worry about anything. He even pays for my son’s babysitter for when I’m in night classes. He is a puppy dog with a heart of gold.”

Chris was nodding his head.

“He paid for my sister to go to a good in-patient treatment program to deal with her demons, and hired me after my wife had left me, and covered my lawyers fees for the divorce. He also lets us trade off with using his camper so we can take our kids out to the campground for a couple weeks here and there so we can bond and just get away from town. I tell you. If there is anyone who gets a bad wrap, it’s Derek.”

Stilinski cleared his throat.

“And what about his sister?”

“All-Bark-No-Bite-Laura? She’s rough around the edges sure, but her heart’s always in the right place. A little slow sometimes to come when her brother needs her, but a killer? God no. She accidentally stepped on a dog’s paw and just about started to cry. The Hales have a bad reputation in this town, which is bullshit because if it wasn’t for their ancestor Isabel, there wouldn’t BE a town here.”

Nodding his head, he took a look at the side table that Melissa had finished polishing. It was a simple piece, but there was an elegance to it. The legs had pine cones carved into them, and if you looked carefully, there was the appearance of pine needles and pine trees. Looking at the tag, it stood to reason it was carved out of pine. 

Pulling out his wallet and credit card, he indicated the table.

“How much?”

Derek opened the door and slowed down when he saw the Agent talking to his staff, but this time with his wallet out.

“For you? $350.”

The tag was over twice that. Derek was willing to cut a deal, but he wasn’t stupid.

The Agent handed his credit card over and nodded his head as Melissa when to ring it through and Chris took it to wrap it up.

“Can you deliver it to my hotel?”

“No problem. Mel? No charge for that for the _Agent_.”

Smiling a casual smile at Stilinski, he nodded slightly.

“Look. If you’re going to be in town and asking about me, calling you Agent, or Stilinski, or Agent Stilinski. It’s going to get very old, very fast. How about a first name?”

“Most people just call me Stiles.”

“Okay. Stiles. Learning anything much?”

Stiles just shook his head. He wasn’t learning much of anything. There was an underlying current even with the people who didn’t much like him, that the town wouldn’t really let anything bad happen to him or his sister. No matter how negative some of the comments were.

“Learning a lot. I need to talk to you and your sister again. Results came back from something I found in the car.”

Derek merely quirked an eyebrow.

“Monkshood. Wolfsbane. Highly toxic and pretty messy death. It was all over the front seat of the car that you and your sister….appropriated…from Deucalion.”

Derek managed to school his look to not give anything away. Barely. 

“Why don’t you come over tomorrow morning? You’ll have to deal with my mini-demons, but morning on Saturday usually means cartoons so they shouldn’t be too bad. I’m making breakfast, so be there for 9?”

Stiles chewed that through his mind. He’d been here for a bit over a week and was getting awfully sick of eating at the one diner in town. Fast food didn’t exist here which his waist line was grateful for.

“Sounds like a plan. Should I bring anything?”

“Just your appetite.”

Stiles smiled slightly and nodded. Looking around the store Stiles stated in a very honest manner.

“You have a lovely shop here Mr. Hale.”

“It’s Derek. And thank you. I know how to handle wood.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Derek felt his cheeks flare red. Screwing his eyes shut, he knew they’d flared yellow just before his lids closed. God willing, Stiles didn’t notice. Clamping his hand over his mouth, he heard Melissa and Chris snicker at the other side of the store.

“9am?”

Stiles was obviously suppressing a laugh.

“9am.”

With that, Stiles left the store, and Derek knew he was laughing just outside the door. Dragging his feet towards the workshop, he threw his middle finger up at his employees.

“Fuck you both. Just make sure he gets his table.”

He closed the door to the shop and turned on the exhaust fan, if only to avoid hearing them busting a gut laughing.

***

Derek finished his work for the day, coming home covered in sawdust and wood chips. Eyeing Laura as he flipped through his old spell book, he grunted.

“Stilinski is coming for breakfast tomorrow. He knows it’s wolfsbane. Start thinking of something good to tell him.”

Laura looked up, going a bit pale. It was HIGHLY toxic to humans. Not as bad, oddly enough, for werewolves. Watching as her brother moved into the kitchen and started pulling out a whole mess of ingredients, she put a bookmark at the “Mended Hearts” spell and followed him in. Watching as he started dicing tomatoes, and mixing spices, she quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Making breakfast tomorrow. Need to mix up my tomato relish.”

“Most people just use ketchup.”

Derek cast a glare her way that was less than kind.

“I’m not serving ketchup with my spicy poached eggs and rosemary buttermilk biscuits Laura. That’s just wrong.”

Going back to his cooking, he sighed. Any other time he would gladly have served ketchup. For tomorrow though…it needed to be something homemade. Smiling as Erica came in the room with an old notebook in her hands, she was reading where the bookmark was that her Aunt left.

“Daddy. What’s the ‘Mended Hearts Spell’ and why isn’t it in the Family Book?”

Looking at Laura who had been snooping through his things again, he recognized the book from when he was just a shade younger than Isaac was.

“It’s a spell that Daddy wrote after his Mommy and Daddy died. To find true love.”

“Did it work? Is that how you found Mommy?”

Watching as she read through the spell, and the small furrowing of her brow. Setting aside his task at hand, he crouched down in front of Erica.

“No Baby. That’s not how I found Mommy. I found Mommy because Uncle Alan and Aunt Marin helped Daddy see that he wasn’t happy being lonely.”

Her big brown eyes looked into his green ones. He smiled softly for her and wrapped his arms around his little girl who wasn’t going to be so little for too much longer.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t miss Mommy, Sweetheart.”

Erica for her part sniffed, trying to not show her sadness. They didn’t talk much about her mother. Or his magic. Seeing this insight into her Dad when he was just a little boy who had lost both of his parents was a little upsetting. 

“Why did you make this spell?”

“I was afraid of falling in love and the Hale curse hurting the person I loved so much.”

“Like you loved Mommy?”

“Yes kiddo. Like I loved Mommy.”

“But she wasn’t the person in this spell.”

Derek was quiet for a moment. He wasn’t sure if Erica was upset about the fact he had even created the spell in the first place, or she just found out her Mom wasn’t the person her Dad was hoping for when he was a little boy.

“Daddy made that spell when he was younger than Isaac is right now. My Mommy and Daddy died, just like your Mommy died. I love your Mother, so very much, and am so thankful I did have her in my life. Because I have you and Zacky. You remind me everyday how much I love her Ricky. Nothing will ever change that.”

Apparently, that was the right answer. There were still tears in her eyes, but a broad smile crossed her face. Throwing her arms around Derek’s neck, she squeezed with all her might. Finding himself a little short of breath, he smiled giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Daddy?”

“Yes Ricky?”

She looked down at the spell in the book.

“I hope you find this person Daddy. I miss seeing you smile.”

With the tone of innocence of her age, she dealt a blow like a sledgehammer at his chest with that perfectly sweet sentiment. Leaving the book behind, she bounded out of the room, leaving her devastated father, and bewildered Aunt behind.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Derek worked on what he needed for breakfast the next day, while casting a look at his little notebook. He’d been a pretty prolific spell writer for a child. Flipping back to the spell, he gently traced the immature writing, but even now some elements of it remained in his penmanship. Setting the book down, he looked at Laura.

“Be careful what you leave out around the kids please.”

His voice almost cracked at the contained emotion. He wasn’t angry or upset. Just, very sad. Laura looked down, and picked at her fingernails.

“Der?”

“Yeah Laur.”

She opened her mouth then shook her head.

“Never mind. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Nodding his head, he focussed on the task at hand, not even realizing it was only 7:30 at night.


	11. Breakfast of Champions

Derek worked on the food and the condiments through the evening, finally collapsing into bed around 1am. His dreams, as they always were, were barren. If he was being true to himself, he honestly didn’t care. Better to have no dreams, than to have them and wake up feeling like you would never achieve them. Most of his dreams involved him being happy. Sure, he was content, and he felt truly blessed to have his children. But happy? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that. Erica had a point. He wasn’t as free with his smiles as he used to be. He tries to show his affection to his children, but he was always concerned they wouldn’t know it. 

Waking up to the tangle of tiny limbs elbowing him in the face, he looked down at the tangled curly mop of his son’s hair. A faint ghost of a smile crossed his face, looking at his youngest. Pressing a soft kiss to the crown of his son’s head, he inhaled the scent on the top of his head. Even though he was getting older, there was still that under tone of scent that he’d had since he was a baby. Marin said he still smelled like he was a newborn to her at times. Arranging his son’s long limbs to a more comfortable position, he relaxed as Isaac snuggled in and clung to him like he was a teddy bear. Wrapping his arms protectively around Isaac, he felt Erica in bed on the other side of him. Chuckling softly to himself, he gently lifted her over so they could sandwich Zacky. Being favoured with one of Erica’s dozy little smiles, he sighed softly. This could be enough. If nothing else, until they grew up and moved out, this could be enough.

Watching as the sun slowly rose, and his room started to lighten, Derek slid out of bed, being extra careful to not disturb his children. Looking curiously at his children, he realized that they were both wearing pieces of Isabel’s Arrow on silver chains around their neck.   
Moving out to the hallway, he tiptoed to his Aunt and Uncle’s rooms, but only saw a note on their bed.

“‘Deal with it.’ What the…Deal with what?”

Walking downstairs, he started the oven to keep the food warm that he was about to start cooking. Scratching his stomach, he went to look out the back window at where they’d buried Deucalion. There was not just 1 or 2 bushes of roses growing. Now there were easily over half a dozen. The buds were starting open on them, and the deep black was easily seen from here. There was no way he’d be able to deal with that before Stiles showed up for breakfast. It was already 7:30 and he had biscuits to bake.

Pulling the tomato relish from the fridge, he frowned a bit at it. The colour was a little bit off. Uncovering it, his nose caught a familiar tang of lavender and mint. Sniffing deeper, he also found the scent of an uninvoked banishing spell as well. Dumping the entire mess into the sink, he dumped a healthy amount of salt and soap in the dish. A small puff of smoke followed by the tell tale scent of Dawn dish soap, he scrubbed it out and grabbed out the pot of relish. THAT was still fine. There was a banishing spell stirred into his food, and he had a feeling he knew who stirred it. 

He wasn’t personally opposed to banishing someone who was going to potentially cause them trouble, but even he knew that banishing a law enforcement official in the middle of an inquiry was probably the dumbest thing they could do. Draw WAY too many eyes their way. 

Flipping the on switch to the coffee maker, he was grateful that he remembered to pre-load it before crawling into bed. Grabbing out the ingredients to make his rosemary tea biscuits, he set about mixing it all together. Once everything had the right consistency, he poured the sticky mass onto a cookie sheet and separated it out to something he could work with. A few deft moves with the sharpest knife he had, they were in the oven and he was pulling out the pan to keep working on their breakfast. 

Taking a sip of his coffee, he heard his children come running down stairs, arguing over whose turn it was to pick the Saturday morning cartoons. There was a thump, a yell, and an agreement on a show. They were two peas in a pod, their tastes were so similar. But this new generation, he was pretty comfortable with saying Erica leaned more heavily on her witchiness and Isaac on his wolf. Kind of the opposite of their father. 

Looking at the clock, he heard the gravel crunch on the driveway signalling their visitor had arrived. Throwing the door open before Stiles could knock, Derek gave him a slight grunt of acknowledgement and shuffled him into the kitchen. Taking another sip of his coffee, he set it down and stretched to the ceiling, grabbing a coffee cup for Stiles.

“Nice tattoo. Mean anything?”

“How can you see my tattoo?”

“It’s right there on your back.”

Derek stopped, mid pour on Stiles coffee. Blushing right down to his chest, he realized he hadn’t put a shirt on when he woke up this morning. Having children had instilled the habit of going to bed, at the very least, in a pair of shorts. Handing over the coffee, he was up the stairs in the blink of an eye, and back almost as quickly, pulling a grey tank top on. 

“Sorry. I thought I had…”

“No worries. I tend to do the same thing and I’m less than functional without a cup of coffee in me either so…no harm. No foul.”

Derek smiled, going back to the pan he was prepping for poaching the eggs. Hearing Laura making her way downstairs, he slid a cup of coffee over to her as well. Giving her a look, he pointedly glanced at the kitchen sink where she could see the failed attempt at dosing Stiles with the banishing spell. She narrowed her glare at him and took a sip of her coffee.

“So. Agent Stilinski. You said you had some questions?”

“Yes. Coffee’s really good by the way. Wait…is that tomato relish?”

“Sure is. Home made.”

“God I can’t wait to get it in my mouth.”

Derek snorted into his coffee. Serving the poached eggs and fresh from the oven biscuits, he took his kids plates into the living room. It was rare he let them eat in front of the TV, but he figured it would buy them enough time to have a civil conversation with Agent Stilinski. He hoped. The biscuits would always buy a few extra minutes, especially if they were dripping with butter. 

Taking a seat in the breakfast nook, he noted that Laura was looking a little paler than normal, which was saying something considering she was the paler of the two. 

“So. Your questions Agent Stilinski?”

He was almost tempted to call him ‘Stiles,’ but he didn’t want the Agent to think his guard was down. Taking a bite of his own breakfast, he was glad that he had sampled the relish. All clear this time around. It also complemented the spice in the eggs and the rosemary in the biscuits quite nicely.

“Yes Mr. Hale. Thank you for reminding me.”

He sounded a little…put out. But he was here to do his job, not just enjoy the food he was being offered. Taking another bite before he started, his eyes fluttered close for a half second.

“What do you know about wolfsbane?”

Derek pretended to sit back and think about it. Everyone who currently lived under this roof knew more about wolfsbane than most normal humans would ever learn. It would look they had a patch of it growing in the back garden, but it was under wards that prevented humans from just wandering in, and kept most animals out as well. 

“I know that it’s a pretty dangerous plant to most humans. Highly toxic and very poisonous.”

“And?”

“And what? We tend to try and avoid it whenever possible. It takes very little to kill a healthy adult.”

Stiles took a sip of his coffee.

“Then can you explain to me how it was possible for the amount that I picked out of Deucalion’s car to have not affected you or your sister at all? Or why you don’t have a dead body sitting around right now?”

Derek, again, pretended to think for a minute. It was true. He and Laura both should be head for how much they inhaled that night.  
“I’m sorry Agent Stilinski. I wish I had an answer for you.”

He sounded like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. 

“I’ve heard, Mr. Hale that it can also be used by some types of people for other nefarious purposes.”

“Which people.”

“That would be correct. Witch people.”

Laura almost choked on her eggs.

“Are you accusing us of something Agent?”

Stiles held up his hands in surrender. 

“No one is accusing anyone of anything Ms. Hale. I’m simply stating for the record that I have heard rumours of your family’s history and practises. Do you deny them?”

Derek got between the two of them before they threw down. 

“Not at all Stiles. As you’ve said, there are rumours. There is fact. And we are the brunt of a lot of open distrust in this town. We are practitioners of the Craft you’re alluding to, but that is largely family tradition. I remember reading in one of our family journals that wolfsbane was used to repel wolves from our lands.”

“What about werewolves.”

“It has a different effect on them.”

“Like?”

“It isn’t as fatal to werewolves as it is to humans.”

“What about to you?”

“Pardon?”

“You and your sister. What kind of effect does it have on you?”

“Wouldn’t know. Haven’t tried the stuff.”

Stiles sat there for a few moments, chewing the answers through his head. Pulling an evidence bag out of his jacket pocket, he smoothed out the letter. The very worn letter.

“What does it mean if you see a dead bird that is out of the ordinary?”

Derek sat up and looked at the letter. Laura wouldn’t have received it. He posted it the night he flew out to pick her up. Apparently, the Agent had taken a good long look at it.

“Where did you get that.”

“Just a question Derek.”

“What it means, Stiles, is that something bad is on its way. And I’d say getting a phone call from my sister because her boyfriend is beating her up is pretty fucking bad news.”

Pulling the letter back, he carefully folded it and returned it to the inside pocket of his jacket.

“That is a very personal letter Mr. Stilinski.”

“It certainly is Mr. Hale.”

“Have you read it through?”

“Looking for evidence Mr. Hale.”

Derek gave Stiles a look that could curdle milk. Laura, for her part kept her mouth shut.

“We are witches Mr. Stilinski. Nothing illegal about that. I think what you may have missed in that letter was me detailing the fact that we Hales tend to cause the death and down fall of the people we love simply by loving them, and working out with Laura exactly how we were going to ice her boyfriend.”

Derek was monotoned, and to Laura’s skilled ear, sounded very much on the edge of wolfing out. Giving her brother a warning shake of her head, Derek took a deep breath and calmed down. It took some doing.

“Mr. Hale. Did you and your sister kill Deucalion because he was abusing her?”

“Oh yeah. At least twice.”

Derek got to his feet and left the room.


	12. Wishes Can Come True.

Laura for her part answered a few perfunctory questions regarding her relationship with Deucalion and the circumstances that had Derek fly out to rescue her. She’d also explained that Derek was often the one who bore the brunt of the teasing when they were kids, and hadn’t completely moved past it even though he was an adult, but that was because he was reliving the same bullshit now that he did when they were kids. Matters made even worse by the fact that his own kids were experiencing it for themselves. After Stiles had left, still suspicious, but apparently satisfied with the answers he was provided, Laura waited in the doorway while Melissa picked up the kids to take them out on a playdate with her own child. 

Once they were out of earshot, Laura entered the room.

“Derek. What the ACTUAL FUCK was that? Do you want us to land in jail?”

Derek for his part threw a warning look and his eyes briefly flashed yellow. Feeling his fangs grow in his mouth, he snarled at her.

“He’s onto us Laura and in case you forgot I’m having a VERY hard time lying to him.”

“I know. Anyone with half a nose can smell why. But don’t forget. We are responsible for what happened. You for the wolfsbane, me for breaking is neck, and you for collapsing his skull in on itself.” 

“I did that to save your ass. TWICE.”

“What do you want Derek? A fucking prize for not letting your sister get killed?”

“No. But a sister who wasn’t more interested in her coffee than trying to answer the questions would have been nice.”

“I panicked!”

With that, Derek all but roared in her face.

“You need to leave. You need to get out of here and find somewhere away from me and my kids. Laur. I love you but your shit is just…”

“…just what Derek. You’re so busy trying to live your ‘normal’ life and fitting in with Them that you’ve forgotten what it means to be a Hale.”

“I’m a practicing witch unlike you.”

“And I’ve embraced my wolf unlike you.”

“You ran away.”

“And you ran into the arms of a human who died for your hubris.”

The temperature in the room dropped by a handful of degrees. Laura clapped her hand over her mouth as if she could stuff the words back in.

“Der…Der I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

Derek walked by her, as though she weren’t even there.

“Pack your shit. Get gone. I’m going to talk to Stiles and tell him the truth. Marin and Alan have custody of the kids if something happens to me. I don’t want to see you when I come back.”

There was no emotion in his voice, and there was no outward display of anger save for knocking the door off its hinges as he walked out of the house, gracefully moving into a lope, each stride eating more distance than his regular running would allow. 

Laura moved to the door, running her hands through her hair.

“Derek?”

She felt the temperature suddenly drop. Turning around at the faint growling she heard, she opened her mouth in a silent scream as the darkness fell on her.

***

Derek adjusted his lope to be more of a run by the time he hit the populated areas. Running up the front steps of the hotel, he followed the scent trail to Stiles’ room and knocked on the door, heart pounding in his chest.

Stiles pulled the door open, a scowl etched on his face. Without waiting for an invitation Derek just barged in and was pacing by the end of the bed. There were files folders open with pictures of young women who, in passing, looked an awful lot like his sister.

“Mr. Hale. To what do I owe this interruption?”

Stiles wasn’t even aiming for civility. 

“What is all of this?”

“Deucalion’s handiwork.”

“Why didn’t you say anything…because you didn’t know if we were working with him or not.”

Stiles nodded his head. Derek had gone pale looking at the file folder.

“What do you know of Deucalion’s location Derek?”

Stiles’ voice was soft, and far closer than it should have been.

“He…”

Stiles took a step closer, eyes intently focussed on his face. Derek found himself momentarily lost in the depths of the twin pools of whiskey reflecting his face back. 

“I…”

Shaking his head.

“He isn’t a threat anymore.”

Stiles quirked an eyebrow. That wasn’t quite the answer he was expecting.

“Be careful what you say Derek. If you think you need to have a lawyer…”

Derek shook his head. Uncle Peter was the family lawyer. This was werewolf business. Even with a dead body Peter would be able to pull a miracle out if needed.

“Laura called me to pick her up. Deucalion kidnapped her, and forced me to drive here at gun point. He’s been dealt with.”

Derek was examining Stiles’ face. The clear complexion marked with the occasional mole. This was the first time they’d been alone in enclosed spaces, and he was picking up Stiles’ scent.

“How many times did you read my letter?”

“Enough to…”

“Enough to what?”

Stiles shook his head, the tips of his ears turning almost scarlet. 

“Is this anything you can go on record about?”

Derek shook his head. 

“Der…you aren’t giving me much to work on…”

The human had taken another step forward and rested his hands on Derek’s shoulders. Instantly, he felt a surge of energy wash through him. Feeling his eyes glow, he didn’t try to hide it. Instead of pulling back, Stiles merely stared at the glowing gold orbs.

“Werewolf…” Stiles whispered, but there was no scent of fear to him.

Wrapping his arms around Stiles, Derek pulled him into an unbidden kiss. Stiles, instead of fighting him off or pushing him back, dissolved into the affection, allowing himself to be pushed up against the wall. After a few moments, Derek pulled back, absolutely shocked at what came over him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

Stiles shook his head. He REALLY shouldn’t have, given that Derek and his sister were both persons of interest.

“I’m not complaining.”

Derek smiled, cupping Stiles’ face, he pulled him into another kiss, sweeping the bed clear, and pushing Stiles down onto the mattress. 

“Stiles…”  
Derek managed to gasp between kisses.

“Mieczyslaw…”

Derek broke the kiss, trying to wrap his tongue around the name. He found he couldn’t even start. Looking down at Stiles who was trying to pull at his tank top, Derek guided his hand away. Gazing into Stiles’ eyes, he felt a shiver run down his spine as the memory of one of the first major spells he ever created surfaced. Whiskey eye colour. Creamy skin. The moles. The unpronounceable name.

“What’s your favourite day of the week?”

“What?”

“Humour me.”

“Tuesdays. Far enough away from the weekend you can focus on work, but at least not a Monday because fuck Monday.”

“Pumpkin pie?”

“With real whipped cream? Yes please. I know something else I’d like to taste with whipped cream…”

Derek pushed off the bed and took a few steps back, suddenly shivering. Shaking his head, he could scream at the injustice of it all.  
“This isn’t real. You’re…you’re here because…”

“Because I’m investigating the dis-“

“No. I…I cast a spell when I was a child. So I wouldn’t fall in love. But I did and she died. But she wasn’t the person I’d envisioned in my youth. You’re here because…because I wished for you, and the universe isn’t done kicking me while I’m down.”

“This…isn’t real?”

Derek merely shook his head, tears threatening to stream down his face.

“It feels so…”

“I know. I know, I feel the same thing, but it isn’t…”

Derek sidesteps Stiles and makes his way to the door. Reaching out, resolutely not looking back, he heard Stiles speak up, voice cracking.

“I’ve read it enough to know the curve of your handwriting. I have it memorized Derek.”

“Stiles…”

“Mieczyslaw…”

“M…my coleslaw…”

Stiles went to open his mouth.

“A name I’ll never pronounce properly. And a name that will stay on my lips forever. Good bye Agent Stilinski. Don’t forget your coffee table.”

With that Derek left a bewildered human behind him.

***

The walk back to the house was slow, made all the worse with the fact it started to rain. Walking up the front walk, he spared a glance as the black roses in full bloom. Feeling a shiver moved down his spine, he ignored the portent of doom, instead just wanting to sit in front of a fire, and letting his depression win out for the night.

Seeing Laura in the kitchen, he made his way over to her, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

“I’m sorry Laur. I don’t want you to go.”

She was still and silent for a moment before wrapping her own arms around him. Letting out a low growl, she whispered in his ear.

“You sure do have a pretty mouth…”

There was the faintest hint of an English accent. Feeling the icy panic grip his heart, he pulled back from the hug and turned around. Watching her reflection in the mirror, there was a taller reflection overlaid on hers. Deucalion and Laura in one apparition. Taking a deep breath, he spun around quickly, delivering a blow to her sternum, causing her to fly back into the bookshelf, and collapsed on the floor. Her chest was still moving steadily, but she appeared to be unconscious for the moment.

As if on cue, the back door opened, admitting Alan and Marin, who poked their heads into the kitchen.

“Looks like you haven’t been having much success squaring this away.*


	13. New Endings and Old Beginnings

Derek sat on the sofa, bridge of his nose pinched tightly, trying to will away the migraine that was forming. The Relations had been haranguing him since they walked in the door AFTER they’d secured Laura to a kitchen chair with wolfsbane infused ropes.

“After all these years in this house with our rules and you coming back to us and looking down your nose at our Craft, and now, you raised the dead, killed it again, and didn’t banish it’s soul?!? This isn’t ‘Googling a cookie recipe’ and throwing it out when you found out they were like hockey pucks. By the gods. Derek. You can’t do things like this, and NOT actively practice. It isn’t safe. And now, Laura is paying the price for your…”

“Stupidity. I know. I skipped the warning and went right for the steps. I get it.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. We just…need to get Deucalion’s spirit out of her. Bind it in a circle and banish it from this realm. Can we do it?”

Marin and Alan exchanged a cryptic look. Slowly they shook their heads.

“Not with the three of us. It’s very possible that Deucalion’s soul took root after you killed him a second time, but didn’t come to fruition until the roses bloomed. He has had too much time to wind his way through her. We’ll need to gather more help.”

“Who’s going to help us? We’re pretty much hated. Remember?”

“We’re also pretty much the physical reminder that without the Hale family settling here first, this town and many of them wouldn’t be here in the first place. Remember?”

Derek had to nod his head in agreement. Pulling out his cellphone, he had this Aunt and Uncle. Sister. Melissa. Chris. And the group chat for the school emergency line sitting there. Tapping his fingers against his leg, he opened the group chat and pulled the phone numbers. Starting with Melissa and Chris, those were the easy recruits. Moving into the contact list, he starts at the top and works his way down.

“Victoria. Hi. Derek Hale calling. Victoria…V…Vic…HEY! Yes. Hi. Thank you for stopping your slew of cursing directed my way. If you’d like a lesson on how to ACTUALLY lay a curse, I can arrange that. Listen. I need your help. Laura slept with the wrong guy. Yeah. Again. Problem is that he’s gotten her strung out on something and we need help. See. Everything you’ve been told about us. About me. It’s uh…It’s true. The witchcraft. The uh…the wolf thing. No. No that part isn’t true. No I’m not sleeping with Chris. No I will not sleep with Chris in the hopes my family curse kills your ex-husband. Look. We need help tonight. Can you come over and…uh…bring a broom?”

Crafting an easier message for each of the parents who agreed to come over, they called around and eventually had a grand total of 13. Largely because a good number of parents were called on to watch the kids of the people coming over. 

Melissa and Chris were quick to appear with Erica and Isaac in tow. Allison and Scott were being watched by their neighbour’s tonight. Given that Erica and Isaac lived here, it was important that they were there to at least help set up everything. 

Derek set about moving the carpet out of the living room, and setting up a circle made of sticks of rowan wood. It was difficult for him to manipulate as rowan pushed against him because of his werewolf nature. But he was also a witch, so through force of will alone, he was able to get the wood to do his will. The spirit they were capturing was all werewolf so it wouldn’t be able to cross the barrier. Laura could once she was free of Deucalion’s spirit. There was an “entrance” that he’d left open that they would push Laura’s chair through and he’d exit by. Looking around, the Relations were moving everything out of the room that Deucalion could use through Laura to cause them harm. Various pictures were turned around, showing faintly glowing runes that flashed to life once they’d settled on the wall. Erica and Isaac were setting up and lighting candles with a taper. Moving up beside Erica, he blew gently at one of the wicks of the candle, smiling as it erupted in flame. His kids rarely saw him cast, and it was usually just to warm up his coffee. 

Erica smiled a broad smile and immediately went to try it.

“Aim at the wick, and blow softly. Imagine a gentle flame leaping to existence at the end of your breath.”

Looking at Isaac who hadn’t heard a word he said, the child instead blew at the centre of the candle, causing it to explode in a waxy mess all across the mantle piece. Looking a bit sheepish he looked up at his Dad expecting a lecture. Instead Derek pointed at the ceiling where a chunk of blue wax was still embedded.

“That’s what happened my first time Zacky. Keep trying.”

Ruffling his son’s hair, he chuckled as his kids kept trying. Hearing the gravel of the driveway crunch under multiple sets of tires, he moved to the front door to let in the first arrivals, besides Melissa and Chris who were helping mix up things in the kitchen.

Pulling the door open, much to his surprise, Victoria Argent was there, with a corn broom in one hand…and a bottle of wine in the other. Looking at the wine with a questioning glance, she rolled her shoulders, and tilted her chin up.

“It’s poor manners to arrive at someone’s home under an invitation and not bring something to be hospitable. I think YOU would know that given who your wife was, rest her loving soul.”

Derek’s expression softened just slightly.

“Thank you for coming Victoria. And it’s lovely. After this…we’ll probably need it.”

Victoria gave him a small smile before nodding her head and walking into the house. Even she couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping at the historical quality of the home, coupled with the warmth of being a family dwelling.

“You do have a lovely home here Derek.”

Nodding his own thanks, he led her in to the kitchen where there was a tense stand off with her ex-husband. But, they both remembered what brought them here and retreated to their respective corners, pointedly ignoring each other, but sneaking the occasional glance back and forth.

Derek went back into the living room, and pushed Laura and her chair into the centre of the circle. She was still quite out of it thanks to the high dose quality horse tranquilizer Alan had grabbed from his veterinary hospital. Derek cut her free and set her gently on the ground with a pillow under her head. Stepping out of the circle, he brought the chair with him, and closed the circle of rowan sticks.

Admitting the rest of the people who had agreed to come and help, he moved into the kitchen where Erica and Isaac were showing off their newfound ability to light candles by blowing on them. The humans who had gathered seemed freaked out but oddly curious about what they were doing. For almost all of them, it was the first known display of magic they’d ever encountered.

Victoria, who was sitting on the counter between Melissa and Chris, was playing with her fingers in her lap.

“You know. Sometimes, when Allison is at her Dad’s place, it’s like I can hear her saying good night to me, even though I’m on the other side of town. And I can hear her Dad say…’dream the dreams of Queens.’ Every night around…”

“10pm.” Chris supplied, looking over at his ex with a small smile.

Victoria nodded her head. “You can set a clock to it.”

Marin smiled a beatific smile. “Magic takes many guises. Some overt. Some more subtle. And if we listen for the cues, we can always feel it in our hearts.”

Derek nodded his head. That was a lesson that had been drilled into him over and over again. Hearing a muffled curse in the other room, he felt his heart drop to his feet.

“It’s time.”

Alan clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Ladies and Gentlemen. We ask that you join us in the living room, and as we enter, clear your minds of any thoughts that would cause harm to our dear Laura. By moving into the room, we cement in our minds the though of freeing her from the ties that bind, and banish the darkness to the ether. When we get in to the room, please arrange yourselves walking clockwise around the circle, and pick up a broom, holding it arms length.”

Turning to Erica and Isaac.

“You must stay in here my lovelies. Far from harm, and the fearful nature that has taken over your Aunt.”

Erica and Isaac nodded and hopped up on the bar stools.

Derek lead the way into the living room, eyes drawn immediately to his sister who was crouched in the middle of the circle, looking more than a little feral. Her eyes glowed a menacing yellow, her fangs dripping with spittle. She was growling, apparently eschewing human speech at the moment. 

Derek picked up his broom, and waited until everyone had gathered. He could smell the fear in the room, but that was healthy. In a lot of cases, when facing a feral wolf, that’s what helped you survive. Once everyone was gathered, his Aunt on his left, Uncle on the right, he took a shaking breath.

“In malo est avertat. Fiat pax reditus.”

Nodding his head, his Aunt and Uncle repeated after him. He could feel the magic starting to build, a faint drum beating in his ears. This wasn’t a simple “repeat three times and you’re done” style spell. This needed a build up. 

“You think I’ll release this whore so easily.”

Derek did his best to ignore the unnatural accent twisting from his sister’s lips.

“In malo est avertat. Fiat pax reditus.”

Banish the evil within. Let peace return. 

Slowly, as they kept repeating the chant, more of the assembled group joined in and fell into the rhythmic pattern. Slowly, the heartbeats of everyone gathered started beating in time, falling into the same cycle. The smell of magic was building to a choking level, but Deucalion was still holding strong, fighting against the magic trying to expel him.

“You think I would release her? This. Whore. Is. MINE.”

At that, Laura/Deucalion launched themselves at Derek, only for the rowan branches to glow a hot white, and for Laura to hit the barrier and be blown back to the other side of the circle. 

The spell itself was broken at the shocked screams that echoed through the room. Derek looked up, his eyes glowing a bright yellow. Dropping his broom, Derek skittered around the outside of the circle until he was laying down beside his sister, tears springing to his eyes as he saw the bruises and broken bones med themselves. Everyone set their brooms down and took a few steps back to give them the illusion of privacy. 

Laura took a rattling breath, spitting out a gob of blood and something that didn’t bear thinking about. 

“Just…let me go Der. Just…if you just let me go…I can take care of him. You don’t have to be hurt, and I can finally…do something right. Der…I’m so…tired…”

Derek shook his head.

“No Laur. No. You just have to hold on. Just…hold on a little bit longer okay? I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sniffing into the back of his hand, he bit his tongue as his chest wracked with a sob. He’d been unable to do anything but watch his wife die when she got into her car accident. And now he was responsible for the fading life of another person who he loved dearly. The curse wasn’t supposed to work like this. It wasn’t fair. Hearing a muffled sniffling from the door, he brought his head up. Erica’s wide eyes were overflowing with tears, and she was holding her brother as tightly as she dared. Isaac was holding her just as tightly, crying at how upset their father was, and how much he was clearly hurting. Sniffing deeply, Derek had an idea.

“Get…get everyone back in the circle. Erica. Isaac. You too.”

Getting to his feet, he looked at Laura.

“Semper iuncti. Nec refert ad tempus. Nemo enim spatium materia.”

Running upstairs, he removed a floorboard and ruffled through a box. 

Leaping down the stairs, he landed in a crouch and walked back into the living room. 

“Semper iuncti. Nec refait ad tempus. Nemo enim spatium materia.”

Indicating to everyone to form a circle and clasp hands, Marin and Alan exchanged a curious look. Derek slid one of the sticks of rowan away from the circle, creating an opening. 

“Hey. Deucalion.”

Laura’s head snapped up, eyes flashing a curious mix of red and yellow. 

“You lose.” 

Lunging into the circle, Alan pushed the rowan back into position to close the circle. Deucalion/Laura lashed out with their clawed hand, which Derek deftly avoided, grabbing her hand and cutting it open with Isabel’s arrow.

“Together forever. No matter the time. No matter the distance.”

Cutting his own hand open, he grabbed hers, feeling a searing heat start at their mingling blood and flow outwards. Being blown back, the barrier kept him from falling out just yet, and a blinding white light flashed through the house, sending a signal for miles around. Derek and Laura’s eyes flashed open at the same time, initially flashing yellow, but shifting to a dark blood red. 

Staring across the circle at each other, they exchanged a smile, panting in exhaustion. Looking up at the ceiling, there was a vague spectre that looked like Deucalion had when he was dead on the table. Leaping out of the circle, the spectre erupted in flames that were blessedly contained in the circle of rowan.

Alan and Marin each nodded once, feeling something within them break and unravel. Derek and Laura felt it next, followed by Erica and Isaac. Halfway across the world, varying members of the extended Hale family felt something break, and a weight lift from their shoulders. 

Looking at the pile of ash in the middle of the floor, Melissa said with a smile. 

“Alright everyone. Let’s clean this bastard up.”

Everyone grabbed a broom, sweeping the oily ash out the door. Curiously none of it trailed behind. Once the mess had been swept to where the body had been destroyed, Derek and Laura went into the kitchen and returned with a massive pot that Marin had been working on all day. Vervain among other things to bind and banish the spirit of Deucalion to the ether. Pouring it over the area, the roses immediately withered and died. The spell had been completed.

***

Through the rest of the night, there was plenty of good conversation, and of course, more than a few different bottle of wine shared among those who gathered. And of course, Derek and Laura flashing their red eyes at each other. The best theory was that Laura had indeed absorbed Deucalion’s Alpha status when she killed him the first time. But Derek, through the pure intent and motivation behind his action to save his sister, had managed to elevate himself through willpower alone. The feeling of unravelling that every Hale alive felt was the original curse of Isabel’s breaking and leaving its hosts. Taking with it, also, the restriction that there would be no Hale Alpha. Now, there were two.

Days crept by painfully slowly. They had taken out the last of the rose bushes after school had let out, and they had a burning party with anyone who wanted to join. Turns out, over half the town had shown up to show their support. With the breaking of the curse seemed to also be the start of a new page of their life. 

Laura was even dating someone now.

They’d received a letter in early July, that Deucalion’s case had been closed. Cause of death was ruled as suicide by monkshood. Derek wasn’t one to question when his luck was turning for the better. 

Watching his children dance and twirl around the fire, Derek leaned on the fence. He’d personally nullified the spell he had cast that brought Stiles to him, but he found his feeling unchanged. Sighing softly, he felt that familiar ache settle in his chest. 

Picking up his Dad’s shift in mood, Isaac bounded over.

“What’s wrong Daddy? Thinking about that Man?”

Derek nodded his head.

“I don’t know why you worried about him Daddy. Don’t you remember your spell?”

“Of course I do kiddo. Why…what are you thinking.”

“You said in the spell you wanted someone to be strong enough to survive you.”

Derek nodded his head. He wrote the spell after all.

“So…even if you didn’t break the curse…if the spell brought him to you…then wouldn’t the spell have known that Mieczyslaw Stilinski would be strong enough to survive?”

Isaac bounded back towards the fire, leaving Derek to think about what he had said. He also smiled at the fact that everyone seemed to be able to pronounce the name…except him. Taking a sip of his beer, he just let his mind drift on the positive energy that was surrounding him at the bonfire.

“Don’t supposed you have another one of those?”

Derek spun on his heel, dropping his beer, but catching it before it hit the ground.

“My-cole-slaw?”

“Maybe stick with Stiles?”

“Stiles…what brings you here?”

Stiles kicked at the ground and winced.

“Would you believe Erica and Isaac? And a carefully worded letter that threatened my life and my limbs if I ever hurt you.”

Derek cast a glance at his children who were looking suspiciously innocent all of a sudden. Feeling a pair of arms wrap around his waist, he looked at Stiles in shock.

“The thing is Derek. You cast that spell looking for me. And I said a prayer looking for you. I’d lost my Mom when I was a kid. I was there with her when she died and I saw how devastated my Dad was. And I prayed, so hard, to find a love like that. That I would love someone so much that I never wanted to lose them. You cast for me. And, I…I prayed for you.”

Derek, lacking any other way to reply, pulled Stiles close and kissed him soundly.


	14. Epilogue

Weeks passed by and Stiles became a regular fixture in the Hale House, to the point he didn’t need to renew his lease in the fall when his apartment agreement came up. Moving in, he found himself the only human in a house of supernaturals. 

And he loved every minute of it. 

There had been a lot of speculation about what it was that had broken the curse. Was it the spell that he’d cast twice with Laura, or the intention of not losing someone he cared about? Was their blood a sacrifice to secure the safety and prosperity of their family for generations to come? Or was the purity of love all that was needed to overcome Isabel’s bitter heart.

They didn’t know.

They didn’t care.

What the did know was that planting yew in a cemetery amplified it’s powers, and gathering vervain before dawn would make it more potent. Sweeping after a friend left from a visit would bring nothing but bad luck to them, so no cleaning for at least an hour. Making a wish on a rainbow after the rain would invite good luck in the house, and saying “I love you” was the greatest magic of all. 

And, for the first time in centuries, the Hales gathered on the roof at the rising of the first full moon after the autumnal equinox. In antiquity, before even Isabel’s brand of crazy had graced the world, the Hales were seen as guardians against the unnatural. They defended their Keep against the darkness, and were treated as warriors without equal. 

Which is why Derek stood at the northern point of their house, facing inwards towards his sister who was at the south. Alan and Marin faced off at the east and west, respectively. 

Stiles stood below with Erica and Isaac, watching the spectacle.   
As one, the four adults let their eyes glow. Laura and Derek in red. Marin and Alan in yellow. Leaping backward off the roof, they let their respective changes overcome them, landing with enough force on the ground, some 4 storeys below, to ignite the torches that were set up around them.

For a brief moment, a wave of power rippled through the collected townspeople, causing them to stumble for a moment.

Turning around, Derek saw Stiles standing there, children in tow, and felt himself smile broadly.

“To another good year?”

“And bountiful.”

Stiles smiled, letting himself get kissed under the harvest moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just under the deadline...but holy crap...I got it done by Halloween!
> 
> I really really REALLY hope you enjoyed this.

**Author's Note:**

> A huge HUGE MASSIVE thank you goes to @lit_oblivion over on Twitter for putting this one in my head, and helping me put a few pieces into place.
> 
> And yes. I know. I have a number of other stories on the go. I haven't forgotten. LOL.
> 
> Feed back is always appreciated. Kudos and comments are what I live on.


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